Rise From the Ashes
by crazieanimefan1
Summary: A young half demon thrust into the future too early to find prejudice was worse than in the past. Through the pain, she's able to rise from the ashes like a phoenix determined to find her place in the world. Also a Bleach Crossover.
1. Birth in a Blizzard

_A/N: Okay, this story has one thing I know some of you guys squirm at: male pregnancy. Just know I love Inuyasha to pieces, I hate what happens in the story with him, but hey, it's fan fiction, what can we do? Anyway, enjoy the story! _

"Fuck, fuck, fuck…"

This was repeated the entire walk.

Inuyasha was looking worse for wear lately, and now it was January. A sudden blizzard decided to show itself up and he was stuck inside a cave. Unfortunately for him, he had other sudden problems he had to deal with.

Nine weeks ago, he had been in love with Kikyo. It seemed so happy and grand. And then one day, she decided that being with a half demon would destroy her soul and cursed him with her power…curse him to die.

And now that curse was about to come to it's final climax.

The pain he felt was as if someone had twisted his spine and snapped it in two. His breath was labored as his clawed hands touched his round stomach. He looked over at the dagger nearby. Sure, he would've sought help if he was a _woman_ but this was one thing, he knew he couldn't do.

Damn her to hell…oh wait, maybe she'd soon be there, he didn't know.

Footsteps were heard outside the cave as a long shadow filled the mouth of the cave. It was male, long white hair flowing around due to the wind that blew, his boa around him a moment. His face showed no emotion as he stared at the dog hanyou laying there, writhing in pain.

"Now you see what wretches humans can be," he said quietly.

Inuyasha's ear's slid back against his head. "Don't fuck with me, Sesshomaru," he growled.

"Someone already did," Sesshomaru said seriously.

"Why are you here?!" Inuyasha demanded.

"First off, you can't deliver that pup on your own," Sesshomaru said watching him. "Second, this child will be heir of the West. So I have to be here." He moved swiftly to Inuyasha's side and knelt down as he picked up the dagger next to him.

"Don't think this changes anything," Inuyasha whispered.

"I don't expect it to," Sesshomaru said and cut into his brother's stomach.

Inuyasha woke to the sound of the wind blowing outside. He was in a lot of pain, as he was regaining consciousness. As if he could remember what the hell happened, all he remembered was the dark taking over. The cave was warmer, mostly because someone had managed to seal it off.

Sesshomaru looked up from where he was sitting, holding something now wrapped in his furry boa. "You're awake," he said. "You've been out for a few days now."

"Days?" Inuyasha's voice sounded weak to himself.

"Yes," Sesshomaru said as he walked forward and sat down as Inuyasha sat up slightly. "The child's fine. Very healthy. Looks a lot like you. I found a few mountain goats I used for milk purposes."

"What is it?" Inuyasha asked.

"The West has an heir…yet you've broken tradition," Sesshomaru said. "It's a girl."

Inuyasha blinked and looked as Sesshomaru revealed the newborn to him, who was wrapped in some blankets as well. She had a bit of silver hair sticking out off her head and rosy cheeks. She also had the same puppy ears he had, white as well. All one could see was mostly her head and face.

He slowly took the baby into his arms.

Sesshomaru looked at this. "Because I'm the Lord, I have to name her," he said.

"Oh god, you picked something stupid," Inuyasha groaned.

"Not really, just the last half of your name," Sesshomaru said. "Since it means female demon, I named her Yasha. I figured too since she looks like you, it would be fitting."

Inuyasha quirked an eyebrow up and looked seeing the baby open her eyes, golden orbs staring up at him. Damn, the kid was a splitting image of him! Yet…she was a girl. Most heirs were to be male, but it would be a cold day in hell if Sesshomaru decided to get a girl pregnant for his own heir. So now he was the one that had the best chance, and here she was.

"I see," he said finally as he nodded. "Surprised you named her as heir seeing she's not male."

"Perhaps it's better this way," Sesshomaru said standing up. "I have food that should last you several months until the storms pass. I may see how she's doing later on. For now, I must go." He moved to leave as he paused. "Don't screw up again," he warned.

"Go to hell," Inuyasha said as his way of saying he wouldn't. He watched his brother go and looked down at his daughter. He wasn't ready to be a father, but now he had no choice in the matter.

He wasn't about to be like his father…he just hoped he could make him proud.


	2. A Fifty Year Nap

Inuyasha looked up from a nap under a tree and heard a bunch of giggles as his ears twitched. He looked around a moment as he yawned when he looked seeing a pair of little white puppy ears from a nearby river. He tilted his head to look better and raised both brows sky high.

His now four-year-old daughter was naked, having taken her kimono off and laid it near a tree and was wading in the river standing quietly as she watched the current quietly. The giggles were coming from a pair of children of a nearby village watching her. So of course his own curiosity caught up to him as he stayed near the tree watching. He heard the sound of splashing and turned his head seeing that salmon were swimming upstream for spawning.

He then turned back to Yasha.

She quietly stood there as she studied the fish, no spike, no pole, nothing. A fish jumped and she struck catching it in her arms like she would a ball, the wiggling fish making the girl's body wiggle along with it. The children cheered as she seemed to beam brightly, a rather cute look.

Hell, this kid was going to use that cuteness to an advantage!

Inuyasha rose to his feet and moved down to the river to retrieve both child and fish as he chuckled. "Quite the expert fisherman," he teased. "Now we'll never go hungry."

Yasha grinned. "I did it all by myself, Papa!"

"Yes, you did," he said as he walked to the hut the two stayed in. He put her down and dried her off getting her kimono back on. "Yet young ladies don't run around naked. Might give people the wrong idea."

"Yes, Papa," she said and moved to sit down with her paper dolls.

He watched this a moment. "Yasha, I will be leaving tonight to check on a few things," he said as he began to clean the fish. "I will be back by the time you wake up in the morning. I want you to stay inside, understand?"

She nodded her head more interested in the dolls, but she heard him.

He was surprised how he never had much trouble out of his daughter. Only thing about it was she just was a bit wild. She obeyed him, was learning even a few things from him. If he could call her anything, he'd have to say she'd be a future survivalist. Yet there were a few differences among them. While she had his ears and hair color, her eyes were more an amber color than his, and she showed early signs of having the powers of a priestess.

Just another signal she was Kikyo's child as well.

The only problem was, he had never introduced her to her mother, and he was staying as far from her as possible at the moment. He had a feeling by now she did know of the child and knew he was alive. It was only a matter of time before he felt she'd come calling. He shook this off and resumed fixing the fresh fish for their dinner.

As the moonlight shone through the window, Inuyasha glanced at Yasha sleeping on the bedroll, a rag doll in her arms, her thumb in her mouth. He knelt down and put the blanket around her kissing her head as he turned to the door slowly exiting the house as he vanished into the night.

So came morning as Yasha woke up yawning. She looked around a moment to see no Papa. She rubbed her eyes and stood to check the outhouse. Nothing there either as she looked confused. Yet like every villager, she looked up seeing an explosion coming from a shrine across the river. She saw a red and silver figure running fast as she smiled. She ran down to the bank to greet him when she suddenly froze.

Behind him was Kikyo…with a bow and arrow.

Yasha was in a numb shock seeing the arrow pin her father to a tree. Yet she suddenly felt someone pull her back into a shrine before she was seen by the dying priestess. She looked up seeing a monk as tears slid down her cheeks. "Papa…we gotta help him!" she cried.

"He's sealed now, child," he said as he wiped her eyes, with a hand that seemed bandaged from the world. He was the monk Miyatsu, cursed by the demon Naraku. He saw how sad the child looked and realized the danger she was in as he nodded. He knelt down to her height and put a hand on her head. "I will help you," he said softly.

"How?" she asked sniffling.

"I can't bring your papa back, however, I will keep you safe," he said. "I will seal you as well, yet you will awaken when your father does. It will also keep you safe from harm and your father will be able to reunite with you as if a day passed. I will rule it an order that my monks, no matter how long it takes, will watch over you and protect you." He touched her face. "It may be many, many years…are you willing to do this?"

She stared up at him, her face heartbreaking. She shut her eyes a moment and sighed as she looked out the window at the crowd. Her head slowly nodding as she glimpsed her father one last time. "Yes," she whispered. He nodded his head as he placed his hand on her forehead and sealed her into a frozen state, looking as if she was sleeping.

"Sensei…why did you do that?" an apprentice asked. "She's half demon."

"The sins of the father don't go to the child," Miyatsu answered. "She is innocent. As well as heir to the Western Lands, in which her uncle would kill us if we didn't save her. We lost the priestess Kikyo today…we need not lose anymore." He lifted her body and laid her on an alter as he placed a glass covering around her. "She will never age, never leave this state," he said. "She will awaken when Inuyasha wakes up, still physically, mentally, and emotionally as he left her. She is to only be told she is the age she is today when she awakens."

The monks nodded and rushed off to prepare a better resting spot for her.

While Miyatsu died, a victim of his own curse, his son and grandson were soon left to watch over the child as fifty years began to pass by. In the fifty years, Yasha's body never changed. She remained the same. The only difference now besides a new kimono every so often, was a necklace around her neck, a locket that would hide whatever hidden within it from demons. It was originally created for the Shikon no Tama, but they burned it with Kikyo's body.

Miyatsu's grandson, Miroku, soon left to become a traveling priest. The temple Yasha was kept in however, still guarded her. It was one sunny afternoon that a monk cleaning up happened to look up and saw that her eyes were beginning to open. He alerted the elder monk who rushed forward and moved the glass as the little girl coughed a bit looking around. "Miyatsu-sama?" she asked.

"He died so long ago, child," he said. "Fifty years have passed."

She regarded the monk a moment and looked down at herself. She was still a child in every way, shape, and form, except that she was now at least fifty-four years old chronologically. She couldn't count that high however. She couldn't even read or write. She moved to stand, but found herself on the floor from being so numb. The monk helped her up. "Easy, child," he chuckled.

"I want to see Papa," she whined.

"We'll take you to Lady Kaede," he suggested. "She is your aunt after all."

Kaede was the younger sister of Kikyo. Yasha could smell a herby old woman smell about the one eyed priestess and found herself hiding behind the leg of the monk shyly.

"This be the child, eh?" Kaede asked as she sighed. "Can't believe my own sister had a daughter she never met….let alone never gave birth to."

"You'd be the first person Inuyasha would come to," the monk said as he gave a glance to another girl in the room, one who looked just like Kikyo, by the name of Kagome. "So we figured to bring her here so he could be reunited with her."

"Thank ye," Kaede said as she bowed her head and watched the monk leave. She then looked down at Yasha. "Lots going on today it would seem."

Kagome blinked at Yasha. "So he has a daughter?" she asked.

"Yes, child," Kaede said as she set to bathing the girl. "This be the first time I laid eyes on her myself. Already I can sense she has inherited some of my sister's power. Which means, like ye, she could handle the jewel without problems. In fact, she would need to hold the shards of the Shikon no Tama in her locket."

Yasha sputtered when a bucket of water was poured on her to rinse her off. She looked like a drowned puppy by the time Kaede was done, yet soon looked more presentable. Now dressed in a red kimono, she sat idly on a stool looking like a dog who was scared. Kagome finally felt pity for her and moved to take her in her arms.

"Be careful," Kaede warned. "She may not be used to a female touch like that. Seeing she was raised only by her father."

"If I'm her mother's reincarnation, then I want her to know I'm not going to abandon her," Kagome said.

Yasha somewhat relaxed in Kagome's arms, now finding herself playing with a bra, much to the girl's embarrassment. She tried to take it from her, only to see the young girl wasn't giving it up so easily and bounded to play with her new "bonnet" as she put it that she put over her ears. She looked up seeing Inuyasha and blinked, all interest in the bra suddenly gone.

"PAPA!" she shouted.

Inuyasha turned and saw Yasha as his eyes widened moving toward his daughter and hugged her close tears in his eyes. "You should look older," he said. "How?"

"Miyatsu," was all she had to say as she clung to him. She snuggled against his chest. "I waited like a good girl…fifty years! I was a good girl and slept!"

He chuckled kissing her head. "Good," he said. "I'm very proud of you."


	3. Finding Fate

Spiders…giant spiders.

The haunting nightmare struck her like lightning. All she could remember was falling into darkness. The well seemed so deep and the drop so long. She remembered Naraku, striking her friends, her family. To spare her, Inuyasha had pushed her into the well to send her into a world she had never seen before. She remembered spiders trying to reach out and grab her before she disappeared.

Then her eyes opened.

She was in a building, laying on cold dirt. She lay where the well once stood, it having disappeared with her arrival. She sat up and looked around. "Papa?" she asked. Hearing no answer, Yasha figured he would fetch her soon. But then she caught a gleam of something in the light within the dirt.

It looked metal.

Yasha moved brushing off the dust and dirt to see a sword in it's sheave. She blinked recognizing it to be his sword. Her eyes widened as she lifted it into her hands as tears began to slide down her cheeks and dropped onto the special sheave. She suddenly realized the situation. He wasn't coming back for her. She could never return to him. She was now in a world she had never known before. But could he still be alive in the past?

If he was, then one day, she knew…he would find her again.

Yasha wiped her eyes and looked down seeing the locket she wore still there. She shook it a moment hearing something inside as she opened it as a jewel dropped into her palm. It was the purified Shikon no Tama. She studied it a moment as she put it back into the locket and closed it. Like her mother before her and her father's new wife, she was now the guardian of the jewel.

As that moment, she told herself she was no longer a princess.

Yasha climbed out of the shed pushing the door open seeing the Higurashi shrine in front of her. She looked seeing Kagome's mother there studying her.

"You must be Yasha," she said. "Kagome has told me so much about you. She isn't with you?"

"No," Yasha whispered. "She married Papa. He requested I come here for a better life." She hated to lie, but it had to be done. It was a half truth, she knew though. She felt the woman bring her inside. She looked seeing the grandfather, seeing Kagome's brother. She was part of this family through marriage, but she wanted a life without the past haunting her.

Just for now she would stay.

Yasha did stay for at least until summer. She looked at Mrs. Higurashi, noticing the woman knew what she had planned.

"I will make a bag for you," she said. "The things we got for you and food."

Yasha nodded her head. "Thank you," she said.

"Please, visit us," the woman said. "You're my granddaughter through marriage. I know your father would want you safe and sound and I hope you'll find what you're looking for."

Yasha moved hugging her as she nodded. "I promise, Grandmother," she whispered feeling the woman kiss her forehead. She moved to get the sword to tie to her waist. She had long since discarded the kimono she arrived in, now wearing a pink shirt and jeans. Pink had become her favorite color these days, and one she could notice, even if she was slightly colorblind. She also wore a baseball cap over her ears, to hide them.

A ride was arranged for her to be dropped off at a certain area outside Tokyo. She got out and moved for the forest as she began her journey.

And it was right smack in the middle of monsoon season, unfortunately.

Rain and more rain fell as Yasha walked through the muddy forest. She took refuge in caves, eating when she could. But then she caught sight of a little white wolf trapped in the rain and whimpering. He was so white, it was breathtaking, like he was very bright.

She moved to him and petted him. She decided to take him in as hers, naming him Sunny, since she couldn't figure a name for the poor creature.

When there were breaks in the rain, she learned to walk. She was beginning to find it more and more difficult to travel, as she climbed through the mountains looking around. She found a path and began to follow it as it lead her down one ridge and through another forest as she blinked looking at how thick it was.

So thick, the rains barely touched her.

A few miles later, Yasha noticed it was getting dark. This made it hard to see and she missed part of a ditch as she toppled down and landed with a thud at the bottom having hit her head on a rock passing out. Sunny raced down to her and licked her face to try to wake her up as he let out a long howl. But even he doubted anyone could see them or even find them in this darkness.

But his ear lifted up hearing rushing footsteps.

"Who is she?"

"I don't know, but she's hurt."

"The child's a demon, we must kill her!"

"NO!" A man walked up. "Demon or not, we don't kill children. I have two sons of my own, one possibly around the same age as this one. I will take the child, so she could probably keep the youngest boy occupied. I'll report to the Hokage at once about the child as well and let him meet her. So let's get her to the hospital."

"Yes, Uchiha-sama," they said as they rushed off.

Fugaku Uchiha watched the group as he moved to the child and lifted her up. He looked down at Sunny. "I suppose you follow," he said as he nodded and picked the pup up by the scruff of the neck. "Anyone with a bright wolf has favor…and you see more in this girl." He created a hand seal and vanished arriving back in a village.

When Yasha woke up, she noticed she had bandages on her head and two boys watching her. She was laying in a hospital bed as she looked at the two.

"She up!" the youngest said and grinned at her, causing her to blush shyly. He walked to her and handed her a stuffed green dinosaur. "He help you feels better."

"T-Thanks," Yasha whispered realizing her Japanese sounded a bit old fashioned.

"I Sasuke!" he said. "Who you?"

"Yasha," she said.

"Well, Yasha, welcome," the other boy said. "I'm Itachi Uchiha." He saw her blink at his name. "Something wrong?"

"You no weasel," she said as Sasuke giggled.

"He my nii-sama," Sasuke said. He smiled up at Yasha. "Father letting you live with us. You be a Uchiha too!"

Fugaku walked in the room. Both boys moved and stood to attention as she slowly regarded him, realizing he was their father. She now felt very nervous.

"I see you're awake," he said looking at her. "What is your name?"

"Yasha," she whispered.

"Yasha," he repeated. "From now on, you will be known as Yasha Uchiha. I want nothing but the best out of you behavior wise, in which my sons will help you with. My eldest has already said he'd watch over you as well. I expect you know how to be a proper young lady. How old are you?"

"Four and a half," she said meekly.

"Sasuke's five," he said. She could already see he was comparing her to the two boys, which made her uncomfortable.

"And your ears…what sort of demon are you?"

"I'm half," she said. "H-Half dog demon, half human."

"A hanyou," he said nodding. "We will need to hide your ears. So you will wear a hat when outside. Itachi, we need to go shopping and get the girl a few things. She will share a room with Sasuke, since the two are close in age." He watched Itachi take the money and head off. He then looked at Yasha. "Don't make me regret this," he warned and walked off.

Yasha sighed as she looked down and looked at the stuffed dinosaur as she slowly hugged it to her. She closed her eyes a moment. _Should I have left the shrine? Should I have remained there? _She suddenly shook her head. _No…_

Sasuke watched her a moment and held her hand. "I no scared of you," he said. "You a puppy. My puppy."

She blinked hearing that as she smiled for the first time. "Always," she said softly looking grateful that he wasn't scared of her. "I happy now."

"Good!" Sasuke beamed and hugged her.

Mikoto Uchiha, the boys' mother, was a much more gentle and kinder person than her husband. She took to Yasha as a daughter she never had as she smiled at her and actually took to her well being. Yasha was grateful for this and found herself in better spirits near the woman.

Yet she didn't escape fate with Fugaku.

Her first week there, he had to teach her manners, how to eat with chopsticks. Getting her to sit up straight was also hard. With Itachi in school during the day, Mikoto took care of Yasha finally, so her husband could go to work. She was usually in little sundresses and her long hair in a high ponytail.

When Yasha turned six, a new guest soon appeared in the house. Itachi had located a girl around his own age, with long light blond hair and skin dark like chocolate. She had been found outside the gates, a strange poison running through her. Yet she had survived and was in the hospital.

Itachi lifted Yasha up to the bed so she could see the girl. "She's sleeping," he said.

"Will she wake up?" she asked.

"Soon," he said as he held her on his hip. "Someone bad hurt her. And once the bad stuff's out of her, she'll wake up."

"Oh," she said looking a bit sad at that. "Who would hurt her?"

"We'll find out," he said. "She'll be in our care, so you'll have a big sister."

Yasha smiled at the thought of this. She never had siblings before. Yet it would be a year later that her life, the girl's, and all around her would change during one night when the world became covered in blood.


	4. Promise in the Dark

A week before the blood bath, Yasha had entered the Ninja Academy, but ran into problems severely in the beginning. She could neither read nor write, plus she was half demon, which many seemed to deem her a problem.

But the shy girl proved one thing: she was very smart.

For one, Yasha used her nose. She was able to track targets faster than her classmates, just by using the scent. Iruka blinked as he gave the students an outdoor test to see if they could find certain objects before the other and she found every single one within the matter of fifteen minutes.

Second, Yasha was proving to be a great artist.

Iruka noticed that she would draw her reports out, showing she did indeed listen in class. He also noticed she was left handed when she sketched, and she left nothing to waste in her sketchbooks. He flipped through one during lunch and saw amazing things, trees, flowers, everything she saw, she sketched.

Then he paused at one sketch.

It was one of her, feeling lonely. She had sketched a few students to represent bullies, and a picture of herself sad. He sighed and closed the book as he looked up hearing a scuffle outside and looked to see it was Naruto and Sasuke.

Yasha meanwhile, was off in another area. She was watching, but she seemed to disapprove of the situation. She moved forward and stood between the two holding her arms out as she curled her lip into a snarl, her fangs showing. Both boys stopped in their tracks and lowered their fists.

Naruto watched Yasha soon walk off without a word and raised a brow. He moved to run after her.

"Hey!" he shouted.

She looked up from gathering her bag. "I don't like to see fighting for no reason," she said. "I don't want to see Sasuke-sama hurt or you."

"Why me?" he asked. "You barely know me."

"But we're the same," she said causing him to freeze.

"How are we the same?" he asked. "I can name hundreds of differences in us."

"The way people look at us," she said slowly. "Bully us…because of what's in us." She put her bag on her shoulder before turning and heading for the school once again leaving him stunned as she joined Sasuke's side walking hand in hand with him making some of the girls a bit jealous.

Yasha knew well enough Sasuke was the girls' biggest attraction. Yet she also knew he didn't even give them two cents. She was a bit surprised by that, thinking that some guys would want to flaunt it, but he never did. He was too dedicated to her.

She had to blush at the thought and shake it off. What would she know on stuff like that?

After school, Yasha was one of to leave as she gathered her papers and pencils when she looked seeing Kiba Inuzuka talking with Naruto. She knew the boy only by the fact he loved dogs…and his last name was almost similar to her father's. She walked past the two boys as they watched her.

Naruto heard Kiba give a longing sigh. "What's with you?"

"Isn't she beautiful?" he asked.

Naruto looked at this and looked over where Yasha was going. "Don't you let Sasuke hear you say that, he'll kill you."

"Then I'd die for love," Kiba said.

"She doesn't even know you." Naruto just shook his head and moved to follow her to walk her home.

Yasha didn't realize she was being followed, until Naruto's scent lingered into her nose. It smelled of unwashed underwear and ramen, a smell that almost could gag someone, but she was used to it.

"Naruto," she said not even turning around.

"How'd you know it was me?" He jogged up to her side.

"Your scent," she answered honestly. "I pretty much know who's who by that."

"Okay, tell me how."

Yasha looked at him. "You smell like dirty underwear and ramen," she said causing him to blush. "Kiba smells of a dog hospital, which is because his mom works there. Choji smells like potato chips. And Sasuke smells like chocolate."

"Impressive," he said nodding his head. "So, are you going to train today?"

She nodded. "Something you should try," she joked as he chuckled.

"School's boring," he said. "There's nothing to do but just sit there. Plus you get to draw in class."

"Art are my words," she said frowning. "Art is how I express myself. Alison says the guy she stayed with before coming here was an artist too. Said it should be everlasting, whatever that means. But to me, art helps me do what I can't." She looked at him seeing him look bored as her eyes narrowed.

"Excuse me for being so boring," she said sarcastically.

"Sorry," he sighed. "Didn't mean to do that to you."

She grunted a moment and sighed. "Naruto…can I call you something?"

"It's not bad, is it?"

"No!" Yasha looked honest on that. "I…just want to call you Nii-sama."

"Older brother," he said looking at her. "Why?"

"Because…we're the same," she said. "And…I don't have an older brother. That's why you could be my adopted older brother."

Naruto looked pretty touched by that as he nodded. "All right. As long as I can call you Nee-chan."

"Deal." She smiled finally.

Now Naruto knew what Kiba meant. She was cute when she smiled. Yet he had to shake that off, not about to get Sasuke on his case, as overprotective as he was with her. "So where's Sasuke at?" he asked changing the subject.

"He had training with Itachi-sama," Yasha said. "I watch them sometimes, blowing fire out of their mouths and making hand signs. I think I could do that."

"You'd have to find your elements," he said seriously. "Plus you fight with a sword like a samurai. Why do you bring that thing with you everywhere?" He pointed to the sword that was tied firmly to her side. "It's rusty."

"It was my father's," she said quietly. "I'm learning how to use it like he did. Plus, my demon side seems…calmer with it on my hip."

"I've never seen that side," he said.

"You don't ever want to," she said. "I saw my father's…and suffered for it. He clawed me in his time of insanity and he thought he killed me."

He shivered at the thought and looked up seeing the Uchiha gates. He looked at her. "Well, guess we'll see you later," he said.

Yasha nodded her head. "Yeah, sure," she said. "Bye, Nii-sama." And with that, she moved back inside the gates. She would never much call him Naruto again, it was mostly Nii-sama she called him.

Alison, the girl the family had taken in, was sitting by the lake deep in thought. It was discovered she wasn't even Japanese, but Egyptian. She had been adopted by a Japanese man who abused her mentally, emotionally, and physically. Yet she seemed very well mannered and seemed to like shadows, for some reason. Her gray eyes lifted up when she saw Itachi emerge from the woods.

Itachi walked to her and kissed her head. He had grown fond of the girl, one nearly his age, or a year younger. He led her off down a path to the koi pond to be alone. He looked over at her, his eyes now different.

She looked at this. "Mangekyo…that means…"

He nodded his head. "He wants me to do this in a week," he said. "However, I will be moving you out of the way to where I plan to be so you won't get caught up in the carnage."

She sighed pushing back her light blond hair. "So it truly is going to happen."

"Yes," he said. "I also asked for Sasuke and Yasha's lives to be spared, they don't know the situation and they're too innocent. I threatened to tell a few dirty secrets if they denied their lives. So they have a new apartment soon to be ready for them."

"And us?" she asked. "What shall happen to us?"

Itachi stopped walking and turned lifting her chin up. "I have plans," he said. "We will be going to the Akatsuki. They can take care of us. After this, also to protect the children, we have to be missing nins. Perhaps a Hokage will come to pardon us to our good graces, but for now, it stands as it is." He touched her cheek. "Don't be scared, Ali. All will work out."

"I am not scared with you at my side, Itachi," Alison said leaning into his touch. She looked up hearing someone arriving.

"We'll talk later on this," he whispered as he saw Yasha walking up. He worried with her keen hearing if she overheard them, but it didn't seem she did. "Yasha, Sasuke's waiting for you at the lake behind the house."

"Oh, I was wondering on that," Yasha answered. She smiled at the two and ran off.

One week later, their life would change.

The Uchiha Massacre was one that everyone knew of, and talked of for weeks to come. But the night they searched the bodies was a stormy night. Yasha and Sasuke were found unconscious yards from each other. Where Yasha was, it seemed she had tried to drag herself toward him and just fainted. A bruise on her rib cage showed she had been kicked hard enough to knock the wind out of her. Sunny had also been found alive, hiding under a porch in fear.

Kakashi managed to coax the young white wolf out with Pakkun's help. He decided to take him in until Yasha was able to take care of him again. Asuma held Yasha's rain soaked body in his arms while Gai got Sasuke, the two heading for the hospital with them. Kakashi took Sunny to Kiba's mother's clinic for treatment.

A loud thunder crack woke Yasha from being unconscious and into a world of hurt. She winced touching her side gingerly as she looked around the room. She was alone, minus the machines that were inside and the IV. She looked down at this in her arm and pulled out the needle as she forced herself to her feet slipping out the door.

Caught in a daze, and in a torrential downpour, Yasha wandered back to the Uchiha home swallowing as she could smell death and blood all around her. Her head began to spin as she gripped it hearing the screams in her mind causing her to collapse to her knees a loud sob racking from her throat as she dropped her face in her hands crying hard. She had thought she found a family, found safety.

And that seemed ripped away from her, just like it was back in the feudal era.

She looked up as she stared at the rain sniffling when she heard footsteps behind her. She slowly turned and saw Sasuke looking at her. He walked to her and put a hand on her shoulder moving to sit with her. He pulled her into his arms as he gripped her tightly rocking her as his own tears slid down his cheeks.

"P-Promise me…you'll never leave me," her choked broken voice whispered in the darkness.

He heard this as he swallowed.

"I promise," he whispered. "I will protect you."

She gripped his shirt tightly burying her head in his chest as she felt her tears fall while his rocking helped her sleep.


	5. A Natural Love

At eight years old, Yasha now had to figure out the adult world around her.

The massacre had happened the spring after her birthday in January, but that still didn't make her understand certain things. For one, she didn't know how to cook, except for the occasional rice ball. She knew how to fish thankfully, which did actually help with income. As did her artwork, which was becoming famous among the villages.

To the point the Hokage had her paint portraits of each Hokage to hang in the offices.

All the while, she was struggling with depression as was Sasuke, to where she had to fish him out of a lake before he took it upon himself to kill himself. She gave him a few words and a slap to the face, before refusing to speak to him for a week before he finally apologized and all seemed well again between them.

Yasha was also struggling with the changes of her body. By the time she was ten, she had started her first period, which freaked her out completely thinking she was dying. She was also taller now, about 4'11 and had her own sense of style. But she wanted so much to prove that she could be a Uchiha, even if she wasn't one by blood.

And that started by learning fire jutsu.

It was one winter afternoon as she had trained with Tetsusaiga, her father's sword. She wiped sweat from her brow as she looked up a moment sheaving the weapon. She looked at her hands burned from trying a different version of the weapon. She slowly formed the seals from memory as she took a breath….

…and nothing happened but smoke.

"ACK!" Yasha coughed a moment and rubbed her chest. She frowned. "Damn…there's gotta be a way…" she muttered to herself as she looked at a tree that needed removing. She turned toward it as she frowned focusing as she did the seals once again and blew out a stream of flames that hit the tree causing it to explode as she jumped back in shock.

"Yasha, what the hell?!" Sasuke ran up from where he was training as he saw this. "What did you do?!"

"I-" she began. "I did the fireball."

He blinked. "You did the Fireball jutsu?"

She nodded her head slowly.

He saw the burn on her lips and looked as the snow helped stop the fire as he put a hand on her shoulder. He turned her to face him. "Do you know what this means?" he asked. "You are now officially a Uchiha."

She smiled hearing this. "I am?"

He nodded and hugged her tightly. "I am so proud of you," he whispered. He gazed down at her as he touched her cheek. "I swore I'd do something when you'd do this."

She blinked looking at him. "You knew I wanted to try?"

"Yes," he said. "I always knew you wanted to do this." He pushed her hair back a bit. "And now…I need to give you a reward."

He looked nervous, but he steeled himself as he leaned down brushing his lips on hers giving her a gentle kiss.

Yasha had seen people kissing. She knew it to be a sign of love or affection. Yet at that moment, a warmer feeling than the fire came over her as she felt him kiss her in an inexperienced way, but it was still a kiss. She closed her eyes finding herself slowly giving in to return it as the two shared their first kiss.

She felt their lips soon part as she gazed up at him. She could still feel the effect on her lips and herself as she rested her head on his shoulder as he held her close to him resting his head on hers. He didn't speak, but the kiss told her everything. She was his and his only.

Wouldn't the girls at school be jealous big time?

That evening, Yasha was cleaning up from dinner while Sasuke helped her. She could feel his eyes on her as she looked up at him which gained her another kiss on the lips. She dropped the dish rag she had in the sink to return the kiss as her arms slowly moved around his neck on instinct while his hands rested on her waist. She felt him push her a bit against the sink as she felt his body against her own.

His lips moved down her neck as he kissed the soft skin there causing her to shiver, feeling things in her she never felt before. She held close feeling him lift her up to carry her to the bed they shared as he laid her down slowly undressing her. She watched as he undressed, which was how they slept a lot, so they knew each other's warmth that way. She studied him a moment as she laid on her side letting him touch her.

No adults had told them this was wrong at their age, but then again, it was natural to them to explore their bodies. She allowed him to touch her between her legs as he played a little bit with her slit. His mouth rested on her maturing breasts as he licked the small nipples. She arched slightly stroking his hair. He gazed up at her kissing her again pulling her against his body.

Yasha's fingers slid down his side moving in gentle circles. He smiled at this pushing her hair back gently. "One day," he said softly. "We will do it."

She looked up at him and nodded. "I'd gladly give you my body," she whispered. "You own it already."

"As you own mine," he whispered. "There is one thing you can do though." He looked down a moment. "If you want to."

She looked down. "Oh…" she said in realization. "Go down on you."

He nodded. "You did it once," he said.

"Yeah, I know." She moved down turning around a bit so her legs were at his head and her head was between his legs while still laying on her side. She gently blew on the tip of his dick kissing it a moment as she licked it a moment before taking it into her mouth.

He grunted as he felt this lowering his head to lick at her slit being mindful of her virgin barrier. His tongue grazed her clit as he felt her pause a moment, yet soon resume to suck him as he began to lick at her. He moved a moment to lay on his back so she could lay on top of him and continue to suck him as her legs spread a bit to give him better access. She pulled back so she could lick a bit and get her breath before resuming this, sucking as a child would to a mother's breast. This caused him to arch up and cum in her mouth as he felt her swallow. He tasted pure sweetness on his tongue and lapped it up as she turned around soon so she could face him.

"When do you think we should do it?" he asked pushing her hair back. "The day we graduate?"

She thought on this. They would both be 12 then, two years older than they were now. They could be a bit more mature by then. She looked at him and nodded her head. "Yes, that sounds like a good time," she said.

He nodded his head as she rested her head on his chest still laying on him. He held her close his arms wrapped around her.

School soon was back in from winter break. Yet it was apparent to Naruto that Yasha and Sasuke seemed closer. Yet he was grateful that he was able to be able to still talk to his little sister whenever he could. He had grown fond of her. He glanced behind the two seeing some glaring girls shooting looks at the back of her head.

Yasha could feel this too. She finally stood up before the teacher came in and whirled around glaring right back. "The looks can stop," she said her lips curling into a snarl. "Unlike all of you, I didn't crowd him…I didn't show what a fool I could be to try everything in the world to impress him. And I wasn't whiny or jealous every time someone else came near him. So your ignorance can stop right now. Perhaps if you pay attention more to other things than him maybe he'd acknowledge you sorry girls, but he doesn't, so BACK OFF!"

And with that, she sat back down getting a nod of approval from Sasuke.

Sakura and Ino were in shock after Yasha's sudden outburst. They knew her to be quiet and shy. But for her to speak her mind, it was a rare sight. Naruto applauded suddenly followed by almost all the boys. She blinked looking up as she heard that.

This earned her respect finally from half the guys in class.

At lunch, Yasha sat eating a rice ball when she saw Kakashi. He was sitting on a wall reading an orange book. His visible eye peeked up at her as he closed his book and hopped down walking to her.

"You certainly caused quite a commotion this morning," he said.

"I was standing up for myself," she said softly. "How may I help you, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Well, I was wondering if you and Sasuke would like to join the advanced class coming up?" he asked. "It starts during the summer and you'll be learning a few skills to help you graduate in the next two years."

"The class before one of you takes us on three by three?" she asked.

"It'll be four on your team, we bent the rules so you could stay near Sasuke," Kakashi said seriously. "It's for your safety since many in the village think we shouldn't graduate a half demon."

She seemed to ruffle slightly at that as her ears lightly flattened. She sighed softly. "Why can't people accept me for who I am and not what I am? It's like Naruto with that demon in him."

"Wait…how do you know this?" Kakashi frowned deeply. The girl knew the village secret?

"I could smell it," Yasha said. "Plus my sword does detect demons." She looked off a moment. "Why the sudden interest? It's better if he knew the truth instead of you guys hiding everything from him. It's bad enough you give him hurtful looks and turn your back on him, you have to lie to him too?" She stood and walked off.

Kakashi watched the girl go in silence. She spoke honestly, as if it was from the heart. It made him wonder however, if she had told him already. If this was the case, she could also be responsible for him staying in class more. He shook his head as he walked off for the time being.

Yasha also heard the announcement of the course through Iruka, who turned out would be teaching it as well. A sign up sheet was placed in the hallway. Sasuke immediately signed his name and looked at her handing her the pen. She signed something to it and then smiled in satisfaction. When he looked, he couldn't help but to give a short chuckle.

Her "signature" was nothing more than a puppy face.

Naruto looked at this and raised a brow. "Well, they'll know who she is," he said looking at the bright side of things.

"Hmm." Sasuke nodded his head. It was the first time the two were civil to each other for once instead of wanting to fight.

Sasuke was of course the class genius. He did everything fast and accurately. And at home, would teach Yasha how to do certain things. She learned how to create shadow clones and worked more on her fire, with his help. She continued to advance well on in the final days of her ninja schooling.

On the day of graduation, Yasha noticed Naruto sitting alone on the swing looking sad. She realized the situation and heard some of the others talking about it as her ears seemed to flatten. She moved through the crowd a moment and walked to him as she put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her.

"It's okay, Nee-chan," he said. "I was never meant to do this."

She frowned. "Yes you were," she said. "You want to be Hokage? Prove it. I believe in you." She squeezed his shoulder and moved to Sasuke's side. He watched them a moment heading home as he frowned.

"You're right," he whispered.


	6. Broken Promises

Yasha studied her new forehead protector in the mirror at home. She took off her shirt a moment and tied it around her neck to see how that looked. "Nah," she whispered and moved to tie it on her forehead seeing it push her bangs back.

"I sort of liked it the first way," Sasuke said walking up behind her.

She looked at him through the mirror. "Like a collar?" she asked.

"It was more a bandana," he chuckled. He walked to her as his arms moved around her waist resting his head on the top of hers. "We made it…no more classes for a couple weeks, then we see who is our sensei."

"Yeah," she answered leaning against him. "We're now Genin."

"Yet it seems you've become more like a samurai at times," he said. "With that sword of yours."

"Means I can handle long distances," she said.

He nodded his head. "I believe two years ago I made a promise to you," he said. "When we graduate, we'd take our relationship a bit further up."

"I remember," she said. She could feel his breath on her neck as she closed her eyes tipping her neck for him feeling him kiss it. She felt his hands slide into her shorts and one in her underwear as he touched her clit gently causing a moan from her. He smirked against her neck feeling wetness there. His free hand moved up to remove her bra as he slid it off her body. She leaned back against his chest as he squeezed her breast.

Yasha had never known a man. She was a bit nervous, and knew he was too. Yet that night of passion, she felt pain only once, that was replaced with a newfound pleasure, instincts kicking in as they lay nude, their bodies sweaty from the first sexual encounter of many as he emptied his soul into her body. She responded by coating him with the same love and devotion as they lay there, on their bed panting in the afterglow.

He gazed at her stroking her cheek. "You okay?" he whispered.

"Yes," she responded licking his own cheek gently. She felt him move on his side still remaining within her as he held her close to him. He kissed her forehead gently.

"Worried me there when you looked in pain," he said.

"That was when you first entered me…it's probably like that for all virgins," she said. "But…never knew such a feeling existed like that…it was incredible."

"My claim is on you now," he said. "No other man will take you from me. All of you belong to me."

"As I said, I only want to be yours," she answered as he kissed her softly pulling the blankets over them again.

Things seemed different after the Chunin Exams. After the bite Orochimaru gave him, she worried greatly. She sat on a stool giving him a bath one day as she heard him hiss when she touched the area. She paused and rested her head on his back. "Sorry," she whispered.

"It's okay, it still gives me fits every now and then," he said.

She nodded and continued to bathe him mindful of some wounds he had received. "And Alison?"

"She was there…but she didn't seem into fighting," he said. "She was probably more a lookout. She was different. She seemed in slight pain, physical pain. But she was also pregnant."

Yasha nearly dropped her washcloth in surprise. "Pregnant?!"

"Yeah," he said nodding. "The pain seemed to come from something else other than that. She seemed to have problems standing straight, so it was from her back."

"I see," she said. She resumed washing him.

"She also wore a wedding band," he said. "So did he. Guess they got married while they were gone." He shook his head. "I doubt it would change anything…he's still a bastard. But…if I had a sliver of hope, I'd hope she'd help change him."

"These Akatsuki are all criminals though," she pointed out. "She's not really one, she just left with him."

"You didn't hear?" He turned to face her. "The night that happened, she was brought in for questioning. They said the entire room was a bloodbath and she was gone. Bones were shattered to dust, like someone squeezed them so hard."

"How is that even possible?" She blinked. "Alison never showed signs of powers except the occasional shadow like the Nara clan."

"She's not a Nara though, she's an Akasun," he said. "They deemed her the nickname the Shadow Nin. The cameras said she panicked when they tried to torture her and shadows grew and she used them to kill the ANBU in the place." He frowned shaking his head.

"Still, it's illegal to torture a woman," she pointed out. "So she had the right of way."

"I suppose that's true," he said shutting his eyes as she washed his hair. "How's Naruto?"

"I stopped by today at the hospital," she said. "He's better. Looks like a mummy with all those bandages." She heard him chuckle as she smiled. Perhaps he would be okay now. But she didn't know half of what was to happen.

It started one night. Sasuke had made love to her a good while. He gazed at her as she slept as he bit his lip slowly sliding out of the bed and dressed. He got a bag together as he stopped and wrote a note laying it on the table near his side of the bed. He turned and looked at her sleeping form again as he almost went against this. But the pain in his shoulder urged him forward. _Yasha…forgive me, my love…_

A few hours later, Yasha felt a chill in the room as she shivered. She tried to snuggle to Sasuke to find an empty area. Her eyes opened as she touched the side feeling it cold. "Sasuke…" She sat up and grabbed her robe as she put it on running around the apartment shouting his name. Each time seemed more frantic and more in fear.

She then saw the note on the table as she yanked open the closet finding his clothes gone as she stood in shock. "No," she whispered shaking badly now as she dropped to the floor and let out a scream that sounded like no other. It sounded anguished and full of sadness.

The scream awoke a few of the neighbors and some ninjas.

Naruto and Neji ran into the house having to kick the door in.

"Yasha?!" Naruto ran and found her on the floor in a state of shock. He ran to her as he gripped her. "Nee-chan, what happened?!"

Neji saw the note and picked it up reading it. "Son of a bitch," he whispered.

"What?" Naruto looked up at him.

"He's gone to Orochimaru," Neji said. "Says he wants to be stronger so he can protect her and take down his brother…he apologizes and says he loves her too much not to do this."

"He…promised…" The two boys heard Yasha's small and shaky voice.

Yasha had tears down her cheeks. "He promised…not to leave me…" she whispered as she dropped her head in her hands. Sobs burst from her mouth. "HE LIED!" she screamed. "HE LEFT ME!"

Naruto grabbed her as he held her close. He heard her heartbroken sobs as he shut his eyes. "I will get him back, Nee-chan," he whispered. "I promise." He looked at Neji however uncertain if he could keep that promise.

Neji looked back helpless as well. "Let's get her out of here," he said. "I'll pack her a bag and get Sunny…just get her out of this place, Naruto."

Naruto nodded. "Good idea," he said lifting her up with ease as he stood up. "Your house for now?"

"Yeah, we'll meet over there," Neji said. "I'll alert Tsunade-" He paused. "Oh yeah, I forgot, you're del facto Hokage now."

"Just until she gets back," Naruto said. "I have a better idea, gather in the Hokage Tower." He grabbed some clothes to dress her before leaving sitting her on the bed as he got the robe off and got the clothes on her. "Also…write a note and post it on the tree outside the border of Suna."

Neji raised a brow. "To who?"

"To _her_." Naruto looked at him. "Had she stayed within the villages if not born where she was, she would've been in Suna."

"You sure she'll travel?"

"If not her, someone close to her will find it," Naruto said. "Just tell the situation…and to write a meeting place and time."

"All right, will do," Neji said as Naruto vanished with a hand seal.

It seemed the middle of the night one day that the note was found. Alison read it quietly as she held her baby daughter in her arms. She frowned as she grit her teeth a moment and looked toward the shadows.

"What's happened?" a male voice asked. A shuffling sound was heard as a hunched figure moved forward to her. He was very large and wore a mask over his face minus his eyes.

"Orochimaru took Sasuke," she said. "They tried to get him back, but another battle ensued."

"And the girl?"

"Left behind," she said. "The ink is fresh. It was recently written. Also it says her mental state is so fragile, she almost tried to end her life."

"Word has it Orochimaru has taken in a young woman from Romania," the male said. "She's his assassin and one of his lovers."

"I am aware of her, the Helsing," she answered as she frowned. "But this is not her we are taking about, it is Yasha. We must report this to Itachi."

"The boy makes many promises for a pardon," he said as he shuffled to follow. "Yet he too is leaving the village."

"Which is why we must hurry," she said. "Besides, I think she would love to meet her cousin." She looked fondly down at the baby sleeping against her.

"The daughter of the angel of death, Azrael," he said. "Who would've thought he was related to that girl?"

"Who would have thought I was related to you, Akasun no Sasori?" Alison asked turning her head to the figure.

Sasori gave a huff. "Had I had known, my sister, I wouldn't have done what I did. But it was for the best."

"Nii-sama…enough." Alison's gray eyes glowed to an amber color as the shadows swooped them up and vanished with them in them.


	7. A Chance

"Is she coming?!" Naruto paced his office staring at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru was squatted on the floor his hands in front of him as he focused. "I sense her…she's traveling very fast."

"When it comes to the shadows, she will," Naruto said.

"What rank was she when she left?" Shikamaru asked.

"Jounin, I believe," Naruto said. "For some reason, she's always been a motherly type. Now I hear she's got one of her own."

"And she's Itachi's age?"

"Year younger, she'll be eighteen in April."

Shikamaru blinked. "But how did they get married if they were on the run?"

"It's quite easy, you find a village that has a chapel and priest and it can happen," Naruto said. "I believe they married at Hidden Rain Village however."

"He's with her," Shikamaru said. "Him, another male, and the child."

"Possibly her brother," Naruto said and looked up as the shadows began to seem to flicker like a candle's flame. They seemed to grow around the room as they soon spread apart to three different humanoid figures. The shadows soon changed to humans, except for Sasori's puppet form.

"Alison," Naruto said. "I'm sorry this seems such short notice and so late, but it was necessary."

Alison nodded her head as she cradled her daughter. "It is all right," she said. "We are thought to be on a mission at the moment, so all is well."

Naruto nodded and smiled at the baby. "So this is Sahara? She's grown so much…looks a lot like you."

Itachi moved to his wife and slowly lifted the girl in his arms. He had adopted her as his own. This allowed Alison to at least give her arms a rest and her feet as she sat down in the chair, the two men behind her.

"How is she?" he suddenly asked softly.

Naruto sighed. "She's found a small cottage to live in for now," he said. "I go every day to make her some food and visit her, but usually find her sitting in a chair staring out the window. She's only now regained her appetite to a point she'll eat a little. She was so used to him watching out for her and being so close, but she's not used to being so alone."

"Depression takes some time," Alison said seriously. "But her safety is also a concern. Now that he is gone, she could be bullied to the point someone could take a shot at her."

"I know," Naruto said sitting down. "That is why I asked you to come. One of you needs to adopt her. I'm willing to put forth some pardons. I know the truth of what happened thanks to some hidden scrolls people tried to keep me out of, but as Hokage, the time for secrets is over." He looked at Itachi and Alison. "You both are candidates for pardons. And I know, Alison, you won't do much these days without your brother, which is why he has one."

Alison nodded her head slowly. "We have discussed this anyway in years," she said. "It is Itachi who decided to adopt her if the time came for it. She is closest to him rather than me, but as his wife, I will also place my name down for it as well." She bit her lip suddenly.

"What is it?" Naruto asked.

"Is it too much to ask for two more pardons?" she asked.

"For who?" he asked.

"Kisame Hoshigaki and Deidara," she said. "Kisame is good friends with Itachi and Deidara, well…he is an artist and only my brother knows how to handle him."

He looked at Shikamaru a moment, who seemed to think on this as he looked at Alison again. "All right," he said quietly. He sighed. "I'm supposed to leave tomorrow, yet I know that you can't arrange things by then. I will have these signed, stamped and delivered to the ANBU so that when you do arrive, they know not to touch you."

"Can we see her?" Itachi asked.

"I want to surprise her," Naruto said. "So you'll just have to hold on a little while."

The next morning, Naruto looked to see Yasha walking up to say goodbye. He bit his lip and walked to her as he put a hand on her shoulder. "If I didn't have to go, I wouldn't, Nee-chan."

Yasha nodded and hugged him. "Just come back, Nii-sama," she whispered. "That's all I ask of you…come back."

He held her close as he nodded. "Believe it," he whispered. "Then you can paint my picture, how's that sound?"

"Okay," she whispered as he kissed her head.

"Behave, Nee-chan," he warned and moved off.

Yasha watched him go as much as she could as she sighed softly and moved to head back in the village. She had her head down as she walked kicking a small rock as she looked up a moment at the clouds. She looked down at her hands a quiet moment and nodded suddenly.

Asuma was outside smoking a cigarette as he looked up hearing a knock at his door. He raised a brow a moment as he moved to answer and looked down seeing Yasha. "Hello, Yasha," he said. "How's it going?"

"I wanted to ask you something, Asuma-sensei," she said. "You're a wind element, right?"

"Wind and fire," he said. "Like you."

"Then…I want you to train me," she said suddenly. "Nii-sama's training with that pervert sage guy, and everyone else will be doing other things too. I know I'm not your student…" She looked down. "But…I need to focus the pain I'm in on this."

He put a hand on her head between her ears. "You want me to train you, fine," he said. "But just know, I'm one for results. And I won't expect any less from you, understand?"

"Yes sir," she said bowing as she looked at him.

"We'll start next week," he said. "After I talk to Kakashi since you're technically still his student."

She nodded and headed off back to her house. She seemed to ignore the sorrowful looks of sympathy toward her and the whispered words around her as well. Yet she looked up when she saw a group of older boys blocking her way.

"Well, well…if it isn't the little bitch," one said. "So sad that your lover didn't even want to stand the stench of a demon like you."

"I'm half demon," she corrected as they circled her.

"Which makes it more of an insult," he said. "A half breed mutt that needs to learn her place. And the fact is, Konoha needs no demons….half or otherwise."

She looked around her as she got into a defensive stance. "I don't want to fight," she said. "Besides, I'd look out for that group of ANBU over there."

"Huh?!" The group turned around.

Yasha took the opportunity and ran jumping over two of the boys and tore off running as fast as her legs could carry her. She could sense them running to follow as she growled. "This is fucking crazy!" she muttered as she jumped a fence feeling her speed increase. She quickly ran up the side of a building and hid on the roof as they looked around for her.

She sighed softly and leaned against the brick chimney shutting her eyes. She peeked over the side of the roof staying within the shadows as she saw them still looking when she noticed they found her footprint on the side of the wall. Her eyes widened as she jumped across rooftops fast as the chase resumed.

Her first thought was to run home, but that would endanger her further. She knew if she could find someone she knew to run to for help, she'd be okay. She paused a moment and panted softly as she sniffed the air changing course as she ran. She ducked in an alley and hid behind some trash cans watching them run past as she sighed softly collapsing to the ground.

Only then to feel a hand cover her mouth before she could scream.

She was thrown against a wall pinned there as she struggled growling and trying to bite like a cornered dog. The bully chuckled softly as he smirked holding a long knife. He suddenly took a hard punch to her stomach knocking the wind out of her as she dropped to the ground coughing.

"What's the matter, mutt? Can't fight back?" he taunted.

"I can fight back, but I'm not from the same cloth as you and your arrogant friends," she growled.

He stabbed her in the shoulder with the knife hearing her howl in pain as the knife traveled down her arm deeply. Blood spurted from the wound, as it began to cover the ground. "Die," he whispered as he stood up and opened his pants to suddenly piss on her before he and his group left.

Yasha coughed as her head slowly turned looking at the wound, seeing blood coming out like a fountain. He had hit a major artery and she could see the white of the bone in it. She winced as she slowly crawled out of the alley dragging her arm. "S-Someone…help me…" she whispered hoarsely. She managed to get to her feet and stagger down the street as people gasped seeing her. The blood loss was getting her now, as her head felt foggy as she held the wound tightly.

She could make out voices around her. Her vision became blurry. She managed another step before falling to the ground unconscious.

"_She's waking up."_

"_Thank God, I thought she was dead!"_

Yasha's eyes opened, but she couldn't see anything. It was a temporary blindness caused by the shock and trauma of what happened to her. She could hear a doctor talk to someone about it outside the door. Her fingers moved a bit as she seemed a bit lost, not knowing how long she had been out.

Her right arm, where the wound was, felt heavy.

She could tell it was stitched and bandaged. More likely there was a cast on her arm, to protect this. But her shoulder even had stitches in it since the wound started there. She heard footsteps enter the room as she could smell the scent of a doctor, female it seemed. She smelled like she had a cat too, or lived with a cat.

"Kali," a male voice said that she recognized, it being Gaara from Suna. "Will she be okay?"

A strange female voice, sounding like she was once American or something, answered.

"She beat the reaper," she said. "So yeah. Five days unconscious would give anyone a scare."

"H-How did I get here?" Yasha suddenly asked weakly.

"We brought you here for a little while," Gaara said. Relief sounded in his voice. "When you get better you can go home, but for now, we were asked to take care of you." His hand brushed back her hair.

"Who is the strange voice?" she whispered.

"She's new here," he said. "Her name's Kali Logan, she's a nice person. And she's a doctor from Canada." He looked at Kali. "Kali, meet Yasha Uchiha."

"She's a cute lil' girl," Kali said. "Never met anyone with puppy ears."

"She's a dog hanyou," Gaara explained. "A half demon. But you will never meet anyone sweeter than she."

Kali nodded her head and looked at Yasha. "I guess I should tell ya the situation," she said seeing the girl nod a moment. "You have at least 145 stitches in your arm and a cast up to your shoulder to protect 'em. Gaara said ya like pink, so I made sure it was that color."

"But why can't I see?" Yasha asked.

"It's a temporary thing," Kali said. "It ain't gonna remain. The trauma and all caused it which happens in rare cases. It can last a few weeks. But your sight will return in due time."

Yasha nodded her head. "I was supposed to train with Asuma in a week," she sighed. "These bullies came and did this to me."

"We handled them," Gaara said. "Boy did we…I think Shukaku got pissed. Kali even let him have fun." He shook his head. "Asuma says it's okay…that the training will begin when you're ready. So no need to rush things."

Kali nodded. "Yet in replacement of this, you'll have some visitors in a week," she said. She sounded like she was smiling. "Can't say who they are though."

Yasha's ears slowly twitched. "You say so."


	8. Father Knows Best

"_Yasha?"_

_Yasha's eyes seemed to open to a world of seeing, to a green meadow with sunflowers, her favorite flower. Butterflies floated on the cool breeze as she sat there, wearing a pink kimono with golden trim, cherry blossoms as the design on it. _

_She took a moment to look around before she heard her name called again. Her head lifted a moment as she saw a man standing nearby. He wore a red fire rat kimono and his long silver hair was long and flowing, unlike her braid. He turned his head to reveal Inuyasha. _

"_Papa?" Yasha blinked and stood up as she moved to him. "Is it really you?"_

_He smiled softly. "Yes, it's me," he said as he extended his arms hugging his daughter. "Oh, you've grown so much. I'm so sorry I haven't been there to help you."_

_She buried her head in his chest, his scent still the same. "I've missed you so much, Papa," she whispered tears down her cheeks. _

_He stroked her head a moment. "I know," he said. "I was allowed a little time to see you a moment."_

"_So…you really are-" she began when he nodded his head sadly. Her ears sank a bit. _

"_But…you have a new family and friends who will help and love you," he said. "You're my legacy, Yasha. The last hanyou of our time. You still have much to do. I've seen what things are in store. But you must promise me you'll never give up."_

"_What sort of things?" she asked. _

"_You will see," he said. He touched her cheek. "We all have faith in you. Yet I will say one thing. You may have been born of a curse…but you were never a curse, but my miracle." He chuckled. "I've heard much of what you've been up to….yet I know a path will open for you."_

_Yasha blushed softly a moment. "It's so hard sometimes….especially now. I feel like I'm all alone."_

"_I'm still here, love," he said touching her heart. "Remember that. You're so used to people taking care of you. Yet you need to prove you're strong too. You showed that right before those bastards hurt you. You went to that man and asked for help." He touched Tetsusaiga on her hip. "This will help you. Also…your friend Naruto…ask him to train you when he returns. You share a wind element."_

_She nodded her head. "I'm not too much the warrior you were, Papa. But I won't fail."_

"_Of course not," he said. "You're a Taishou. Your grandfather was Inu no Taishou, the great dog demon lord. You were the firstborn of the new generation. Even he sees you and is very proud of you. Plus do remember….you've got some priestess in you. So even you could form Kagome's sacred arrows if you wanted to."_

_Yasha nodded her head. She sighed. "Will I ever see you again?"_

"_Maybe," he said. "If I get good behavior. I'm in a place called Soul Society. So peaceful to be honest. Even your uncle's here and hasn't caused much trouble. One day when it's time, you'll meet someone here…he will be your guide later in life."_

_She nodded her head. A strong breeze hit them both._

"_Ah, that's my signal," he said and looked down at her as he embraced her one final time. "I love you so much. Continue to make me proud."_

_Yasha gripped him close. "I love you too, Papa…" She gasped when she felt him disappear and looked around frantically. "Papa? PAPA?!"_

She grunted as she woke up as if awakening from a dream.

But it confirmed what she suspected…he would never come to this world for her.

The dream gave her some comfort. She could still smell his scent, hear his voice. He seemed so close, yet so far away.

Her fingers touched something furry. Although she was blind, she could smell it was a cat. But this was no ordinary one, from what she felt. His paw was nearly as big as a grown man's hand, and the bed seemed to sag downward as he laid there. She could smell he was a male. She could tell his ears were a bit rounded, unlike a regular housecat's was.

And she didn't want to even think about his teeth!

"Holy hells, you're a tiger!" she gasped in shock.

Kamara cocked his head at her as if to say "No duh!", but he realized she wouldn't see that. So he resorted to a more better method and nuzzled her softly and gently. Like he'd hurt her, hell, he was an overgrown housecat and a good kitty.

_I can't believe this…he's a cat and yet…strangely…he seems cool. _Yasha slowly petted him a moment with her good hand hearing a rumbling sound that sounded like a purr to her. If she could sit up, she'd probably want to cuddle up to this fluffy animal, who was more likely bigger than her.

He licked her fingers with his rough tongue and rested his head on her stomach. So he was sent in here to baby-sit her for some reason? She also could feel a cold nose near him as well and this fur she recognized. "Sunny," she whispered earning a lick to the face.

Kamara put a paw on the younger wolf's head as if to tell him to calm down. Sunny looked at him understanding this as he laid down on the other side of his master. He also didn't want to get another facepalm with a tiger's paw.

Yet when the door opened, Yasha felt the wolf tense suddenly.

Kamara didn't make a move yet, seeming in between relaxed and tense. His head was up and staring toward the door. Yasha looked up to cock her head so she could hear the footsteps approaching. It was two sets, one lighter than the other.

A male and female.

She also smelled baby powder and baby shampoo. Okay, did someone get the wrong room and just have a baby? But she felt a hand touch her face and turned her head toward it sniffing as she froze.

"I-Itachi-sama…" She swallowed. "Then Alison…"

"I am here too," Alison responded and smiled.

Itachi sat down once Kamara vacated the bed and stroked her cheek softly. "Naruto told you the truth, didn't he?" he whispered.

She slowly nodded her head. An age old wound in her side gave a throb, but it disappeared as fast as it came. "But Sasuke doesn't know…he's hell-bent on killing you!"

"Then we need to keep that from happening, don't we?" he asked.

"Not sure I understand," she said as he chuckled softly.

"Yasha, this is serious…so I want you to think on this," he said. "Would you like me to adopt you as my daughter? Then you would be a true member of the Uchiha clan as well and…well, we can be a family. Then Sasuke wouldn't kill me if it meant destroying your happiness."

"And…I get to call you Daddy?" she asked suddenly.

"You can call me whatever you like," he said. "And you'll get to meet your new cousin, Sahara."

"Cousin?" Yasha tilted her head to a cooing sound as she heard the baby. "She smells of an angel."

"Her father was your first cousin, Azrael," Alison explained. "He came to me and chose me to bear a Soul Angel…she will not grow her wings until she is older."

"What's a Soul Angel?" Yasha asked.

"An angel who chooses if a person who is near death can continue to live or die," Alison explained. "In other words, before the reaper would come to take the person, the angel would make sure it is their time or not. If it is not, they are responsible for bringing life back into their soul."

"Near death experience," Yasha said.

"Yes, that's what they cause," Itachi said. "The race is dying out and some angels took it in good graces to find women who would be worthy to bear them. Alison was just one and was lucky to have your cousin approach her."

"Tell me what she looks like," Yasha said.

"She looks a lot like Alison, except her eye color," he chuckled. "Her eyes are more hazel than that smoke gray her mother has. If I adopt you, she would also be your sister as well as cousin."

She was quiet a moment. "But you're Akatsuki…missing nins."

"We have been given pardons," Alison said. "All this done, thanks to you and Sahara…they found out of the child and realized that…perhaps some of us should not be deemed criminals."

Itachi touched Yasha's hand. "I know it doesn't excuse what I did," he said. "Yet Asuma has said he'd be watching on us while he trains you, when it's time. So we can't get into trouble at all."

Her fingers seemed to touch his hand a moment. She rested her head against her pillow as she looked deep in thought. "I couldn't think of anyone I'd want to be my daddy but you," she whispered. "I'll agree."

Alison smiled at this. "By the time you get better, we will have everything together and a new house," she said. "You still like pink, right?"

"Yes," Yasha said. "But I ask for one thing…a place I can do my art. It could be the back porch or whatever, I just want a makeshift studio."

Itachi had heard Yasha had been too depressed to do any art. He looked at a sketch book brought with her and flipped through it as he paused at one. He blinked.

He was staring at the final fight of Naruto and Sasuke before Sasuke left.

Yasha had witnessed it without anyone knowing.

He could see dried water spots and realized while she had did this, she had cried. He flipped through the pages, seeing some sketches that showed her sadness, but then some that she saw through her window in the early morning. She had one of three rabbits and a deer from the woods nearby.

That was the last sketch.

Kali observed things from a window nearby as she nodded.

"What's up?" Gaara asked walking up.

"I was just thinkin'," she said. "That girl's like a phoenix. Like she can rise up from whatever life throws at her, if they're like ash."

He leaned on her a moment and nodded. "I have to agree," he said. "I hope her progress continues more."

Kali rested her head on his and nodded. "So do I."


	9. Catching Up

Within three weeks, Yasha's sight had returned. Her once golden eyes were now the color of amber due to the blindness and her arm was still heavily bandaged and had the cast still on it. The cast was primarily to keep her from picking at the stitches and to keep her arm still.

Her first sight of Kali made her do a double take. The girl stood a couple inches taller than she did and had brown hair and blue eyes. She had white skin that was getting a tan due to the area they lived in and she had a light dusting of freckles it seemed. But what caught the hanyou's attention was Kali's breast size.

Yasha swore they weren't real for quite awhile until she was getting another exam and by smell found out she was wrong.

She soon also got to meet Kamara, Kali's white tiger. He was bigger than she expected, big enough that if she wanted to just ride on his back like he was a mini horse, she could. But she mostly was seen curled up against his side watching television when he came to see her, which was just about every day.

Yet it was at night that Yasha would have dreams she didn't understand. She would see flames, fire that never harmed her, but was more soothing. Then came a voice.

"_Seek me out." _

This was always how the dream would end.

By then, it was around three in the morning and she was sweating pretty badly. She reached up with her good hand and wiped her forehead with the back of it as she sighed softly turning over on her good side once more staring at the wall. "Why can't I dream of Papa again?" she whispered in the darkness as her eyes closed once again.

Yasha was curled up with Kamara later in the day with an iPod in her ears, Kali the one responsible for that. She had brought it from some place in America called New York. Since she had an extra once, she set it up for Yasha's benefit and gave it to her. Only this time, she was found asleep with it on since the dream had kept her up a little longer than she wanted. Itachi had come over to fetch her, things completed to bring her home to Konoha.

He saw the situation and chuckled softly as he nodded. "I'll use a hand seal to get us home," he whispered carefully lifting her up.

Kali nodded as she watched this. "Tell Alison we said hi," she said.

"I will," he said. "You take care of Gaara." He created a hand seal and disappeared in a puff of smoke with Yasha in his arms. He had to come back for Sunny however.

When Yasha woke from her nap, she noticed she was in a different place. It smelled of new paint, cleaning supplies, and some sort of air freshener, she figured strawberry, her favorite thing. The whole room was pink, as pink as a cotton candy machine. The bed spread and comforter on the new bed were more of a darker pink color, or rose, while the curtains were the same color pink as the walls. Even her carpet was bubblegum pink. Yet the bed and furniture inside were white. She slowly stood exploring, finding a new desk with sketchbooks and pencils ready to be used. She also saw something nearby she vaguely remembered.

When she was younger, Sasuke had bought her a stuffed bear. It was white and had glitter in its fur, a white dress on and angel wings. She called it her angel bear. The bear had survived so much stuff in years and still looked like it was brand new. She had thought she lost it in recent years.

So now she found out that wasn't the case.

She picked up the toy as she studied it a moment and hugged it close to her closing her eyes a moment before laying it on her bed again. She looked in the closet and found new clothes inside as she then looked seeing she had her own bathroom. The towels, shower curtain, and rugs were all hot pink.

She slowly slid her door open as she looked around a long hallway. It seemed her room was across from the master bedroom, which smelled like Itachi and Alison's room. She saw Sahara's nursery next door and stairs leading up to the attic above. There were more bedrooms, yet she didn't know who owned them.

She walked downstairs to see the living room, looking rather nice. It had a few antiques around. The kitchen was near it and had a swinging door leading in and out. There was a laundry room in the back area that led to the back yard. A walk in pantry held food products and stored a few things.

She looked out the window seeing the front yard, which was surrounded by forest. She saw that the walkway leading to the house was a path through this forest that lead up to the west side of Konoha's city limits. It would take no more than three minutes to get from there to where she first trained with Kakashi and the rest of her team.

She realized it was probably best for them to stay on the outskirts of town for now. She looked seeing that Itachi was working on something in the yard, occasionally rubbing at his eyes. Was he going blind?

It was a possibility.

Alison was sitting nearby glancing at him. She wore a bandana shirt and Yasha could vaguely see that something was up with her back. She saw what looked to be carvings there. Like someone had branded her with something that looked like Egyptian symbols or writing.

She never had that when she first came to Konoha. Was that what he meant by her back seemed in pain?

And if Itachi was going blind, couldn't someone save his sight?

She slowly walked outside causing the two to look up.

"Ah, she is awake," Alison said and smiled. "Welcome home."

"Thanks," Yasha said. "The way it looked, you guys lived here quite awhile."

Itachi gave a snort. "I guess you can say we did, we hid here a good while," he admitted. "We were just well hidden thanks to a few things."

"Oh…where's the baby?" she asked.

"Sasori has her," Alison said. "They seem close…what I cannot do, my brother seems to be able."

"Or me," Itachi said playfully pouting.

"Yes or you," Alison teased.

Yasha looked away uncomfortably. She felt a bit saddened to, since they reminded her of when she was once in love with Sasuke so long ago. She nodded and moved to go back inside, feeling thirsty for some reason. She looked seeing a pack of cigarettes nearby, wondering who in the house smoked.

It turned out to be Alison, who had become a chain smoker to keep calm.

Yasha learned Alison had changed. A couple years ago, she had to go home to Egypt on urgent matters and met with her biological father for the first time. While there, she underwent a ritual that gave her immortality at the cost of certain things. The anger she had once felt had become a power, the shadows becoming hers to command.

So she always had to remain calm. The marks on her back were a brand of sorts to seal her fate.

Yasha winced at the description, it made her touch the cast on her arm feeling like she had been there with this.

Alison also had become an accomplished cook. Yasha had to admit, it was the best food she ever had in her life, no one's seemed better.

"Now I see why he married you," she said.

Itachi chuckled softly. "I married her more than just her cooking, Yash," he said using an old nickname everyone gave her. "But it's a perk."

Alison seemed to blush slightly on that one. "Thanks," she said.

"Choji would like to eat here…he'd forsake that barbeque place," Yasha said.

"Your friends are welcome here," Alison said. "So perhaps I can do that for him and them."

"Wait for Nii-sama to come home," Yasha said. "Then we'll have a party!"

Itachi chuckled and nodded. "We will see," he said as he ate. "Pretty soon you'll be training with Asuma…also myself."

Yasha blinked. "You?"

"You have fire in you as well. Asuma will handle the wind, I will handle the fire. You learned a few fire jutsu while I was gone, but there's much more to learn. Who knows? Perhaps you'll even learn the Rasengan like Naruto will."

"Rasengan? Sounds interesting," she said as she finished her food.

"Yes, well, it depends if you're up for it or not…we will see," he said.

That night, Yasha lay in bed staring at the ceiling a moment as she lifted her hand a moment. She sighed lowering it as she turned on her good side a moment to close her eyes.

Wondering if the phoenix would be awaiting her in the land of dreams.

A black wolf sat outside from the forest studying the house quietly. It turned and walked toward a young man sitting down as it rested it's head on his lap.

He petted it quietly. "This may be a change of plans," he whispered. "But it will take time to plan. Come now." He led her off as he turned his head looking at the window a moment.

_Yasha….soon…._


	10. Naruto's Return

"_Yasha…"_

_Yasha found herself sitting in the same field she had seen her father in his ghost coming in her dreams. But it wasn't he that greeted her there. In his steed was a young woman, black hair tied like that of a priestess, her shirt white and her pants red. She looked down at herself to find she too was in some priestess garb as well._

_But she had no idea who this strange woman was. _

_Yasha saw the woman turn, her black eyes peering at her. "Who are you?" she asked._

"_He never told you about me?" she asked her voice as soft as the wind. "I would've thought by now he would have."_

_Realization hit Yasha at that moment. "I know now…you're Kikyo. My…" She didn't say the word, she couldn't since she felt no love for the woman._

_Kikyo stared at her sadly. "Yes, your mother," she said. "I see you wear the Sacred Jewel…so it has passed from me to you."_

_Yasha's hand touched the locket around her neck. "Kagome was more a mother to me," she said. "Now it's Alison." She stared coldly at Kikyo. "You who tried to take my father from me…cursed him. Couldn't have given birth to me yourself, or were you too damn proud?" Anger boiled in her. "Or was it the fact he was half demon?! How dare you call me your daughter….you're no mother…."_

"_I didn't expect you to forgive me," Kikyo said gently. "But I had to see you…for in all your life, I've never met you, never knew you."_

_Yasha looked at her. "Because I was nothing more than a curse to you."_

"_I admit, then you were," the woman said. "But you've grown up so beautifully. And I hate myself for not recognizing you're a young woman now. You should be married with children or even engaged."_

"_In this future I live in, I once had a lover…two years ago, he disappeared, he left me," Yasha said quietly. _

"_Yet his love still remains," Kikyo said. "Inuyasha has approved of him…and I have as well. He will return. You must have faith."_

_Yasha didn't say anything to that as she stared off. _

"_The pain will soon disappear," Kikyo said. "But a great tragedy will beg his return." The wind around them blew. "Be strong, my child…you have my blessing." Her voice faded into the wind. _

Yasha's eyes opened as she looked out her bedroom window seeing the sunrise through the curtains. She sighed sitting up rubbing her eyes as she slid out of bed and moved to take a shower.

Now fourteen, Yasha's body had changed once more. Her voice was a bit deeper, but still held a certain sweetness to it. Her body was also different, having grown round large breasts, that were more likely smaller than Kali's still. She stood now 5'1 and was thin. Her clothing style had also changed, using more skirts or shorts with a pink tank top and fishnet sleeves. Her long hair was always in a high ponytail.

She was now internationally famous with her art. The biggest piece she had was the final battle between Sasuke and Naruto, having painted it. What money she earned went into a trust fund set up by Itachi.

She was now closer to the man, a big Daddy's girl according to some. She didn't call Alison "mom" much yet, but was getting around to it. She traveled a lot, mostly traveling to Suna, and helping Shikamaru and Temari as an ambassador. She served as a bridesmaid in Kali and Gaara's wedding.

She had also become a Jounin, having trained hard with Neji and the others. While her friends were getting to be fifteen and sixteen, she was still younger. She was more hyper than they were and sometimes needed to learn to come back to earth, but her sweet demeanor had earned a few friends.

But she still had bitter enemies with bullies, who still tried to hurt her.

She now had a long scar from her attack that day in the alley. It reminded her just how bad things could actually get. But she seemed as usual never to let it get to her. She also chose to join the ANBU as a tracker nin, her nose helping in many missions.

Yet the doorbell caught her attention as she was taking a shower and looked up raising a brow.

"Who could that be at this time?" Alison mumbled to herself from the kitchen table. She watched Itachi move to answer the door and see him return with a goofy grin on his face. "What is up with you?" she asked.

Itachi moved aside to reveal a now taller and older Naruto.

Alison's eyes widened as she smiled moving to hug him. "Oh my gosh, welcome home!" she said. "Taller than me now."

Naruto chuckled, his voice now deeper as he hugged back. "I couldn't stop that," he said. He was in a different jumpsuit now and had a different forehead protector. He was beginning to look more and more like his father every day.

Yasha came downstairs as her eyes widened. "Nii-sama!" She ran and hugged him. Or rather, it was more of a glomp than a hug, since it almost knocked him off his feet. He laughed spinning her around as he caught her hugging her tightly.

"Oh Nee-chan," he whispered happily as he kissed her forehead. "Look how much you've grown! You're so beautiful."

Yasha blushed at the compliment as she chuckled. "You're looking rather handsome as well," she said. "I'm sure Hinata would start drooling if she saw you."

"I haven't seen the others yet, you were the first I wanted to see," he admitted. He saw the scar on her arm as he raised a brow touching it.

She seemed to hesitate suddenly. "I'll tell you later," she said. "Let's get some breakfast and hear of your adventures."

Yasha and Naruto walked later that day in the forest. They talked a good bit chatting as she told him of her changes and everything as he told her of things as well.

"Lucky Gaara," he chuckled. "He got married last year?"

"Yes," she said. "She's his age, and foreign. She's from Canada."

"Ah, yes, the country above America," he said nodding. "She's a medical nin?"

"Yeah, at quite a young age," she said. "She's only been here a couple years though but is very skilled."

"I hope to meet her one day," he said. "She sounds rather interesting. Especially to have a tiger for a pet."

"Kamara's rather cute," she chuckled. "I'm not too fond of cats, but…he I can make an exception with."

"That's you being part dog," he said. "How has the new moons been treating you? I hear you get so weak you stay home."

"You heard right," she said. "But I've had strange dreams. Some of my past, like my biological father and mother…yet lately I dream of fire and this voice telling me to search for the one speaking."

"Have you told anyone this?" he asked.

"No…didn't want people to believe it was stress," she admitted. "They're not bad dreams…one confirmed Papa's death. Today…it was my mother. She said Sasuke was going to come back."

Naruto took a breath. "I wouldn't count your chickens before they hatch, Nee-chan," he said. "But then I shouldn't tell you that, should I?"

"I don't believe that witch," Yasha said sternly. "Nothing more than a shade of my past." She looked at him. "This is me now…my future is in front of me. Two years have passed…I know he's never coming back." She seemed resigned for that. "My heart will never harden."

"That's good to hear," Naruto said seriously. "Listen, Alison has invited me to stay…seeing my apartment's needing cleaning badly. Would you mind?"

"Not at all," she said as she smiled. "I was hoping you would. You're Hokage now, so you should deserve the best."

He smirked playfully ruffling her hair. "The best, huh?" He lifted her up. "The best includes the best sister in the world."

She blinked in surprise. "What are you asking me?"

"To be my bodyguard," he said. "Or rather…my right hand man….woman,"

Her eyes widened as she hugged him tightly and happily. "I'd be honored," she said grinning. "Thank you so much!"

"I'll tell your father to handle your resignation from the ANBU immediately since he's now captain again there," he said. "Or rather, retirement."

She chuckled and nodded. "You are the best big brother in the world!"

"I try." He smiled.


	11. From Pain, Innocence

The lake was always one place Yasha found peace. Yet this night, she was laying there writhing in pain as blood poured from wounds on her body. Mostly blood was from between her legs at the brute force she had endured.

One of the bullies that she remembered two years ago, had survived. What was worse, he was a demon and took the opportunity to get her at one state she was so confused with. Her body still felt on fire as she panted softly hearing the men running to her aid.

She had been in heat for the first time in her life.

Yasha numbly was able to describe her attack. The demon had raped her brutally. She felt the healers fix the wounds as she laid there still in shock. It was that evening that she slowly noticed she had company in her bedroom, looking at Naruto a moment as she slowly moved her hand to his.

"Nee-chan," he whispered kissing her fingers gently. "How are you?"

"In pain," she whispered. "Didn't know he was a demon until it was too late."

"Why did he attack you?" he asked.

"He smelled I was in heat," she said. "For the first time. Nii-sama…I could be pregnant."

"When will you know? I mean…for you it could be different since you go into heat like this."

She sighed. "Like most dogs, if I'm pregnant, it will be nine weeks and not nine months," she said softly. "So, more likely in a week I'll know."

"And the child?" he asked.

"I will keep him or her," she said. Her fingers tightened on Naruto's hand. "Please, don't tell anyone until I'm sure. I mean, it could be a chance I won't be."

He nodded in understanding. "I promise," he said. "You rest. I'll check on you in the morning." He kissed her forehead. "You're hot like fire."

"It's not fever, it's just the heat," she explained. "It makes someone hot…mostly hot for desire, but I daresay I'm not looking for that after today." She sighed. "Stay with me tonight, Nii-sama…I don't want to be alone."

He looked at her as he nodded and moved to lay beside her holding her close. "As you wish," he said. "If you are pregnant, can I be the godfather?"

This made her give a small smile as she nodded. "Of course," she said.

One week later, Yasha awoke with morning sickness. She had been on a mission in another village when she sat in the bathroom vomiting as she sighed. She wiped her mouth and locked her room up as she moved to a pharmacy to buy a pregnancy test. She studied it when she had finished it as she shut her eyes.

"God, no," she whispered. The blue line was enough to let her know the truth as she felt sick. It was all playful talk a week ago, but now it was serious. She was only fourteen, she knew she had no idea what to do with a child.

Especially one conceived of rape.

She sighed looking at herself in a mirror as she pushed back her hair a moment trying to straighten up. "Forgive me, Naruto," she whispered. "But I can't tell you…I can't tell anyone. My clan has been shamed." She rested her hand on her flat stomach as she swallowed back another taste of bile in her mouth running to the toilet to throw up again. She wiped her mouth and heard a knock at the bedroom door. "I'm coming, give me a second," she called as she tossed the test away and every bit of evidence.

At four weeks, Yasha noticed a bit of a bump forming on her stomach and chose to wear her sundresses. It was now summer and July of all times. She also craved anything spicy, foods she usually hated. So far, no one noticed much in their busy schedules and work. She did notice her scent changed and could smell what she was carrying, occasionally feeling the child move inside her.

Her firstborn was to be a son.

She didn't know what to name him yet however, and wasn't in a rush. She soon refrained from any other missions on the sake of illness, which they believed. Yet alone, she could see she was rounding out very well. At night, she would awaken to the child kicking her ribcage and she suffered with frequent trips to the bathroom. The ninth week was the same week as Sasuke's birthday.

Yasha stood at the lake, the same place she was raped. She held a candle she had made from an origami flower. She put it on the water's surface and watched it float away. Yet far in the distance, she saw smoke. It was far from Konoha's borders, but she didn't worry with it feeling it could be some farmer burning brush. She watched the flower as she stepped away hearing a loud splash.

She looked down as she saw water bursting from her, like she had wet herself.

But this wouldn't stop.

She gasped holding her stomach as she winced feeling labor pains. "No…not now, baby," she whispered. "Mommy says no…" She cried out in pain as she dropped to her knees. She shakily moved to sit as she panted hard. She grunted suddenly pushing when the urge hit, not realizing she was doing this too early, in a blind panic. She cried out as she took some breaths and continued to push. A scream tore through her throat as she pushed forth her son laying down as she cradled his nude body to her using her claws to cut the cord studying him.

"My son," she whispered. "My…Shiva…" She coughed a bit having ripped herself between her legs as blood gushed out while she hemorrhaged. "Shiva…" she whispered as her eyes closed.

She awoke seeing light. Had she died? And her son? Where was Shiva?!

As her vision adjusted, she saw that it was a light on a ceiling. She wore an oxygen mask and a beeping of a heart monitor was heard. She was in a hospital, but where? Konoha? Suna? She looked seeing the symbol of the Hidden Leaf.

"Your boy is the cutest little boy!" a voice said as a nurse walked in holding a bundle. "He grins at everyone and just makes your heart melt." She smiled letting the bundle beside her. "Shiva is his name?"

"Yes…" Yasha croaked softly. "How did you know?"

"His father told us," the nurse said and smiled. "Congratulations." She turned leaving the room.

_His father? Shiva has no father, I was raped! _Yasha touched the baby's face seeing him smile at her causing her to twitch.

"He's like you in that sense," a voice said. It was male and she didn't recognize it. She looked over seeing a tall handsome man in the doorway wearing an open kimono. His hair was the same spiky do as he had a sword on his back.

But it was no mistaking it.

"Sasuke…" Her eyes widened as she saw how much he had changed.

"Yeah, it's me," he said as he walked to her and sat down seeing a tear slide down her cheek. "Yasha…I've done so much hurt to you."

"You…came back," she whispered.

"Yes, I did," he said. "I saw what happened. You've been out for a few days, but in that time…I signed adoption papers to be this child's father. "

"He's a child from rape, Sasuke," she whispered. "Yet…you adopted him?"

"He's heir of the clan, Yasha," he said. "Our son…Shiva Uchiha."

Yasha's hand slowly moved as she touched his feeling him hold it tightly. "Don't kill Daddy," she whispered. "Please don't kill him."

He sighed and nodded. "Okay," he said. "I have a feeling he'll be coming over soon. Yet I doubt he'll want to be called a grandpa."

"I think he'd resort more to uncle," she said. She stared in his eyes. "You smell of smoke."

"Orochimaru's dead," he said. "I killed him and Kabuto. However, I'm worried. The wolf girl, Anya…I changed her, she chose to side with me. She was beginning to go down the right path…she also had guilt in her from murdering Gaara. She chose to serve us as penance. However, when Sound fell, she had been kidnapped by her older brother."

"Is she alive?" she asked.

"It's possible," he said. "I can't lose hope. I hope to find her, but I trust she'll be okay." He looked up as the door opened.

Naruto was leading Kali in the room. The new half vampire allowed this since she was still unsteady.

"Sister," Sasuke said helping her sit down. "Did she feed?"

Naruto shook his head. "Not exactly," he said. "I managed to get her a bag of blood which she drank some. But she said she wanted to see her new nephew."

Sasuke nodded. He looked at Yasha. "She won't hurt him, I promise," he said.

"I trust you," Yasha whispered as Sasuke took Shiva in his arms. He walked to Kali and eased the baby in her arms. "His name's Shiva."

"The Hindu God of Destruction," Kali said. "But it can also mean charmin' in Persian."

"He's a charmer," Naruto chuckled. "The nurses swoon over him. But funny thing, he hasn't cried since he arrived. Only time was when he screamed his head off to save his mother's life."

"Then he's a good baby," Kali said as she smiled seeing Shiva coo at her and wave his tiny fists. "Since he is Shiva, I know a good middle name. Alexander. Defender of mankind."

"Shiva Alexander Uchiha," Sasuke said to himself. "I like it."

Naruto nodded and smiled at his godson. He looked at Yasha seeing she fell asleep again. "She's tired," he said. "Alison's fixing Shiva a nursery with her brother's help. Ducks everywhere."

"She saw a baby duck and went nuts," Kali said. "Sahara's excited to have a new baby in the house."

"He'll be coming home with Yasha," Sasuke said. "Now she'll be okay…I know it."


	12. Another Blow

Yasha could hear the obvious "lecture" Itachi was giving Sasuke as she looked at Naruto while the two walked down the halls of the hospital. She was to be released that day with Shiva, but wanted to do a small walk around the nurse's station.

"Sasuke's getting it bad," Naruto whistled. "I've never heard Itachi use that kind of language before."

"Remind me never to piss Daddy off," she answered. "But I know Sasuke. He's gonna retreat to Alison and hide near her."

"He's a Mama's Boy, what do you expect?" Naruto retorted.

She glanced at him chuckling. "Trying to compete for Alison's affections now as her adopted sons?" she joked earning a ruffle of her hair. She fixed it a moment as she pulled the IV pole with her. "Can't believe so much happened in one day…Sasuke turned fifteen too while I was out."

"Are you still going to work?" Naruto asked. "I know you have six weeks off due to this."

"I still plan to support Shiva, yes," she said. "But I know not to go overboard." She sighed. "What happened to Kali?"

"She was bitten by a vampire," he said. "She's now half…somehow she managed to knock the hell out of the vampire that bit her before she fully changed. And as consequence, she's lost her memories."

"Damn," she said frowning. "Widowed and changed all in the course of 24 hours."

"Yes, she's also appeared to have lost a lot of her mutant abilities too," he said. "But she's trying to maintain. She's still got a stubborn streak to her and that backbone will save her from insanity."

"That's true," she said. She looked at the nursery seeing Shiva being dressed to go home as she smiled fondly at her son. "He has wolf ears. Makes me wonder if the demon was wolf."

"So would he be hanyou like you?" he asked.

"Not sure yet," she said. "We'll see when he gets older." She saw the nurse see her and move to give her the baby. She chuckled. "My little man," she said kissing his forehead. "Something so beautiful came from a tragedy…"

Naruto saw the parental instinct in his sister and realized it was the dog in her that was causing it. He smiled. "You'll be a wonderful mother, Yasha," he said. "I have no doubt in my mind."

"Thank you," she answered as she walked to her room with him. She looked seeing Itachi in the room as well. "Finished lecturing?"

"Yeah," Itachi said. "He's signing release papers." He looked at the baby and moved to hold him as he looked at her. "Next time, tell us. I wouldn't have been mad."

"I was freaked out," she said and sighed. "Thought I shamed the clan."

"You could never shame the clan," he said. "You've started the new generation. The clan will begin it's rebuilding now."

Yasha smiled a bit on this and watched Itachi with Shiva.

Shiva stared up at Itachi a moment blinking. But he didn't make a sound as he scrunched up his tiny nose to figure him out. He finally gave a small smile as he seemed content.

Well, content enough to mess up his diaper right then and there with Itachi's hand on his bottom. Itachi felt this as he chuckled. "I'll change him, you get dressed," he said as he got the diaper bag.

Naruto snickered. "He shit in his hand?"

"Apparently," Yasha said giggling as she moved behind a screen to change clothes. Naruto heard a hiss of pain,

"Watch out for those stitches," he warned.

"I just figured that out," she said as she got a sundress on before carefully easing her underwear on after hesitating due to the bandages and stitches she had. "Doctor said for me to remain on bed rest for another few weeks."

"That's why you'll be careful when you return to work," he said. He looked seeing Sasuke enter the room. "She's getting dressed."

Sasuke nodded his head. "I gotta drop this prescription off at the pharmacy for Itachi to pick up later," he said. "Sasori's called and said Kali's having some troubles again. Not with blood lusts, but memory wise, she saw a picture and it triggered a flashback."

"Flashbacks cause her pain," Naruto said nodding. "I'm worried now, a newborn baby near a newborn vampire."

"I didn't think of that," Sasuke said. "But I believe my sister will be okay. This will test her, I'd imagine."

Naruto nodded and saw Yasha emerge as he got the wheelchair for her to sit in. "Easy there," he said noticing her wince as she sat down.

Sasuke pushed back her hair gently and moved to push her as they met Itachi and Shiva in the lobby.

Shiva was one of those babies that never cried much. At stores, he'd flash a grin that had everyone going nuts on how cute he was. He was a little charmer all right. He usually wore something duck themed. He had jet black hair that matched his wolf ears that it turned out cutting was harder than some thought since it grew back fast.

The animals however, weren't amused by the newcomer child, since they were subjected to pinching and pulling of fur. Ra and Sly, Alison's Soul Guardians and one being a red Chinese dragon and Ra a phoenix, kept their distance as well. Kamara however, suffered the brunt of the "abuse" his fur pulled and drops of ice cream and baby food sometimes found matted in it as well.

Sunny took to the boy a bit better, moving to stay in the nursery every night as a guard. He would let Yasha know or Sasuke when the baby needed them. This behavior didn't go unnoticed by anyone.

"I bet when Kali has children, Kamara will be that way to them," Sasuke said one morning about eight months later watching Shiva crawl to play with some toys.

"More likely," Yasha answered as she watched this. She seemed to lounge back in her chair as she looked rested a moment. "Sly and Ra would be the same way when Alison has more children."

"Hmmm…" was the only thing she got out of him along with a nod to his head. He seemed to be deep in thought.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I was just wondering," he said. "It's been almost nine months since your last heat. Which means you'll be having it again."

Her ears twitched a bit. "What are you getting at?"

"I'm wondering if we should give Shiva a sibling," he said suddenly. "One to carry the Sharingan blood."

She was silent on that one. She then straightened up how she sat and sighed. "I'd rather wait until he's a year or two old," she said seriously. "Just to see how he'd handle it. But if we have a second child, we give them as much equal opportunity as Shiva."

"In other words, you don't want me to turn into my father," he said looking at her. "Where he was picking favorites."

"Yeah," she said. "This child would have the Uchiha bloodline trait unlike Shiva. However, that doesn't mean I want him neglected in the process."

He stood up and walked to her as he knelt down taking her hands in his. "I promise you I'm not my father," he said. "Our children will have opportunities we never did."

She smiled. "Then I will bear you a child as well," she said.

When Shiva was a year and a half, Yasha found out she was pregnant again. However, she had been feeling rather weak. Fainting spells kept her in bed a good bit of the time. Even with Kali now discovering she was a shinigami mixed in with vampire, she looked like she was having difficulties.

However, Kali, being a doctor, felt it was something else and not the pregnancy.

She sat in her room studying some test results she had done on Yasha nearing the last lap of being pregnant as she frowned. She looked up seeing Alison enter the room. "I found out the cause," she said softly.

Alison raised a brow. "The look on your face is grave," she said.

"'Cause the diagnosis ain't good," Kali said. "It ain't the baby. But once she has it, she'll be stayin' in the hospital awhile longer." She sat back. "This is a rare thing, since in most pregnancies, it don't happen. But it does sometimes. And thankfully, it's caught early."

"What is it?" Alison asked. She frowned.

"Chronic leukemia," Kali said. "She has cancer."

Alison's eyes widened. "How?! She is half demon, should she not have the ability to keep sickness at bay?"

"Ali…Yasha was a time traveler like her father," Kali said. "If Inuyasha had lived, he more likely would've also had it. Where she was born didn't have as much radiation and pollution as here in the future." She sighed. "Once she's had the baby, she'll begin chemo. The good part, the child ain't effected by this."

Alison nodded her head. "Will she survive?"

"We get her in remission, we can get her a bone marrow transplant," Kali said. "I know she'll survive, no doubt 'bout it. She could get remission in six months, or it could be a year, depends." She looked at the paper. "I will take care of her. I promise."

"Thank you," Alison whispered as she moved to tell the others.

Kali watched her go and looked at the calendar on her wall. "May," she whispered. "So long has passed by."

Yasha gave birth to a healthy girl a week later, whom they named Mikomi, which meant hope in Japanese. She noticed that her daughter had a more human appearance and looked a lot like her father.

Even Itachi was struck by that as he chuckled. "She's the female version of Sasuke," he joked causing Sasuke to roll his eyes.

"Oh yeah, we need a female you, Nii-sama," he grumbled. But he was proud of his daughter regardless.

Yasha looked weakly at Sasuke and touched his hand when Mikomi was taken to the nursery. "You sure you can take care of her?" she whispered.

"Alison and the others will help," he reassured her. "And I'll bring her and Shiva here when you feel up to it."

Yasha nodded her head. "You visit too," she said.

He kissed her forehead. "You know I will," he said. "I'll bring your angel bear…so you can at least think of us when we can't be here."

"Thanks," she said and smiled a bit. "And don't worry on me…I'll make it. I know it."

She had no idea this was just the beginning of a new situation for her.


	13. Sokyoku Revealed

Yasha lay on the hospital bed listening to the rain outside. It was one of her bad days, she was hardly able to move, let alone eat or drink anything. She was to the point she had to be fed through an IV.

Still didn't take away the nausea.

The chemo pills were so large, she felt she could choke on them. What was worse, they made her vomit constantly, which made her morning sickness back in the day seemed like the ordinary stomach flu. She had heard rumors of the side effects, hearing that her child bearing days were over, that she would suffer with many other ailments afterward.

Needless to say, the only side effect she suffered with was stunted growth. She shrank from 5'1 to 4'11.

Her long hair still stayed on her head. She blamed her half demon for that, but she didn't mind. She had lost a lot of weight, part of the process. Yet that day she could barely lift an arm to do a damn thing, barely turn her head.

Even blinking wore her out.

She had a catheter in her chest, which helped ease the need for needles constantly. She had also seen many people go home after their chemo cycles, but she stayed in the hospital. She was just too weak right now.

The television was on, sounding like an echo in a cave. She could barely hear the words going on, her sharpened senses now dull. Her eyes slowly closed as she took a small breath, her head moving to the side falling into another sleep.

Only this time, she awoke standing beside her body as a ghost.

A warmth came over her body, like fire, but it didn't burn her. She turned her head to see a bird sitting on the windowsill. He was made of fire, yet was the size of a peacock, while his head turned to look at her, his eyes red.

He stood, his wings spreading a moment as he grew, bigger than anything she had seen before. He didn't burn anything in his way as his wings moved around her as he was embracing her. She extended her hand to touch his head petting it softly, feeling the feathers as the flames touched her, without harm.

"_So you have found me," _he said in her mind.

She looked up at him. "Who are you?" she asked.

"_My name is Kikoo. Yet many refer to me as Sokyoku. I was thought destroyed by Soul Society, but I am a phoenix and I rise from the ashes. I am reborn now…to become your soul. Your own personal weapon through Tetsusaiga."_

"My soul is a phoenix?" Yasha blinked. "Yet why do you choose to reveal yourself to me now?"

"_I'd be stupid to let my master die now. You're in a near death experience as it is. And because of who I am, I can actually stay outside as a small phoenix to watch over you. You must call my name, Yasha…so we can be joined. So we can be one. I ask you now, do you accept this fate?"_

Yasha stared up at the phoenix as she backed up slightly. She frowned nodding. "Then…become my soul, Sokyoku!"

The phoenix seemed to smile as he glowed along with her flying into her chest and joining into her soul. This pushed her ghost back into her body as she gasped opening her eyes to see Kali there.

"Welcome back," Kali said relieved as she looked out of breath. She pushed back Yasha's hair gently. "Let's hope no more of these near misses happen again, okay?"

Yasha slowly nodded her head. She turned it to look at her. "I…I saw a phoenix," she whispered softly. "He's in me now…his name is Sokyoku."

Kali seemed to pause at the name. "Oh?"

"He…won't let me die," Yasha whispered closing her eyes again to rest.

Kali lifted her head to see the said phoenix with his head under his wing sleeping in a chair. Her eyes widened under her shades as she blinked like mad. She shook her head. "Impossible," she whispered. "Daddy was supposed to have destroyed him…how…"

She bit her lip and turned leaving the room as she looked down the hallway a moment. She straightened up and walked to her office closing the door as she picked up a cell phone that had a charm hanging from it. She slowly dialed a number and put it to her ear.

"Hello?" the female asked on the other end sounding a bit tired.

"Kay, it's Kali," Kali said. "Did I call at a bad time?"

"No, I was just waking from a nap," Kay said. "Is something wrong?"

"Yasha had an encounter with a phoenix…said his name was Sokyoku. Now, I know I ain't passed Shinigami 101 too much yet, but I do know Daddy destroyed that thing. Him and a few others, when Rukia was 'bout to be killed, am I right?"

Kay was silent on the other end in shock. "Kali…did he form a bond with Yasha?" she asked slowly.

"Yes," came the answer that made Kay pale severely. "I'll call you back, Kali." She hung up as she looked up seeing Ukitake walk in the room. "Dearest…Sokyoku has returned from the dead."

"That's impossible," he said shaking his head.

"No, it is the truth," she said. "He formed a bond with Yasha…he's her soul now."

Ukitake stared at his wife seeing in her eyes how serious she was. He shut his eyes and took a long breath. "We must tell Komamura right away," he said. "We can't let Yamamoto know just yet."

"Yet when he does find out, Yasha will have to travel here to show she's worthy of Sokyoku," she said worriedly. "She's so sick right now and so young! She's younger than Ichigo was when he found out!"

"Calm, my wife, calm," he said gently as he touched her face. "There's reasons behind everything. There's a reason behind Yasha having the Sokyoku within her. We must find those reasons, but I believe she will be perfect to have him as her zanpaktou."

Kay leaned into his touch and nodded her head. "I believe you," she whispered.

"Good," he said. He helped her to her feet. "Now come, let's visit Komamura."

Sajin Komamura sat reading as he watched his puppy playing in the yard. He then heard Goro barking as he looked up and saw the two entering the area. "Goro, quiet!" he said as he stood up. "Captain Ukitake! What a pleasant surprise."

"Good afternoon, Captain Komamura," Ukitake said smiling. "How are you today?"

"Good," the wolf man said. "And yourself?"

"Feeling well today," Ukitake said. "As is my wife, so I know it's a grand day. We have word on your great-niece you might wish to hear."

"Ah yes," Komamura said nodding slowly. "I heard she was sick and your daughter has been faithfully at her side."

"She's still ill, but…" Ukitake sat down with him. "She has a new friend. Apparently, Sokyoku took being a phoenix literally. He's now her soul."

Komamura's ears twitched on that. Hell, even Kay looked mesmerized by the very action since it was so unbecoming of him. She could tell he was calm on the situation. "You were right in telling me," he said. "It means soon I will have to reveal myself to her. That she and Kali are the same in some sense, they have family that are shinigami."

"But Yasha's no shinigami nor does she have it dormant in her blood," Kay said. "This is very odd indeed."

"Perhaps she did inherit some of me in her," Komamura suggested. "Be it so, she'll need protection. But while she's sick, no one will bother her. Perhaps Sokyoku found her to be worthy of something."

Ukitake nodded his head. "This should be interesting," he said. "But I sense she'll be sick a long time. Sokyoku may be able to get some of the illness at bay to where Kali can figure out a cure."

"Perhaps," Komamura said. "Kalista is a smart young woman. She will help my niece. I will visit her soon. I want to make sure she's on a good day, not a bad one before I do."

"We'll keep in touch with Kali to figure out when's a good time," Kay said. "She's so young. A mother, who can't even be with her children as well. I know she's sad about that."

"One day she'll be able to see them," he said. He smiled. "I have every faith in that."

"As do we all," Kay said as she nodded.

Yasha opened her eyes after a few hours and glanced at the phoenix now sitting on her bedside. He gave a small chirp as he looked at her a moment. She slowly moved a hand placing it on his head, feeling warmth, but in a good way. He didn't burn her skin at all.

Yet this chirp awoke someone…Kamara.

Kamara sauntered in the room as he looked up seeing the phoenix. His paws kneaded underneath him showing his sharp black claws inside. It was like a cartoon, the cat seeing the bird as a big trussed turkey on a spit dripping with meaty goodness.

_**SNAP!**_

Kamara jerked back blinking as a well deserved rolled up magazine to the nose was brought down on him as he looked up seeing his master. Kali stood there patting the rolled up book in her other hand repeatedly like a warning. Her face showed it too.

His phoenix turkey dinner was officially off limits.

"That's not food," she warned as the tiger slunk behind her. She shook her head and moved to check on Yasha. "I had a meetin' with Dr. Ishida," she said. "You will be a candidate for a bone marrow transplant."

"What's that?" Yasha whispered.

"Basically…a cure," Kali said. "We'll need samples from everyone. There's always a risk for rejection…but considerin' that you're half demon, I doubt that will happen. And there's only two blood relatives to ya that ain't the kids."

"Two?" Yasha blinked. "I only have one, my cousin Sahara."

Kali's lips curved into a mischievous smiled. "You have another. Your grandfather had a brother. He's now a shinigami captain. So you have a great-uncle. When you are doin' better, you will get to meet him. His name is Sajin Komamura."

"Shinigami?" Yasha looked at Sokyoku. "Would that be how I acquired…him?"

"I dunno…yet you have priestess within ya as well as shinigami even if it is in a small bit," Kali said sitting down. "There could also be a chance my spiritual energy is feedin' into ya as well. Sokyoku was once a weapon of destruction, ya must know that. But since he's reborn, his powers have weakened and now you are his master. It was once over 1000 zanpaktou that kept him powerful…now he's a mere one. But he's very special and he sees somethin' in ya."

"Like you as the Chosen One?" Yasha asked.

"It ain't like that I don't think," Kali said shaking her head. "A soul spirit chooses it's host carefully. He chose you, Yasha, and only you. Me? Well…I got the damned to worry on and this friggin' prophecy. You on the other hand, have it light compared to me."

"Then I will use his power for your cause," Yasha whispered. "And get strong to fight at your side. You are my sister."

Kali smiled. "Also…I come with news," she said. "Anya's been found. She's alive. But in a bad condition at the moment. When she's able, she'll be your roommate."

Yasha nodded slowly. "Does Sasuke know?"

"Yeah…he's upstairs with her in ICU since he can't come in here yet….but I might let him as long as he wears protection."

"Thank you," Yasha whispered. "And take care of Anya."

"That I can do."


	14. A New Family Member

"Ah, finally!"

Kali had been in the mailroom at the same time every day since she submitted bone marrow tests to a lab. It took a few weeks for them to come through as she moved to her office and sat down.

Of course, she saw the similar DNA of Alison and Sasori, confirming they were siblings. She looked at everything carefully as she tapped her chin thoughtfully. Over the course of the evening, she had discovered something. She noticed Sasori's results and Sasuke's.

What the other didn't have, the other did.

But it would be downright impossible, would it? To cure the certain problem with two forms of bone marrow?

She had no idea if it was possible, but it could save Yasha's life.

Yasha meanwhile was in a good day. With Sokyoku nearby watching, she was having her first visitors in a long time. Two of those visitors included her children.

Mikomi was walking now, it having been quite some time since she saw her daughter, yet she knew who her mother was. While she didn't speak yet, she was full of smiles. Yasha swore she looked just like Sasuke.

Shiva was two now and very protective of his sister. He was the chatterbox of the two, his hair now to his shoulders and he had on jean shorts and a shirt with a cartoon character on it while Mikomi had a pink frilly dress on. Both children stayed close to their mother.

Sasuke smiled seeing this. "You look better," he said.

"I'm hoping to be in remission soon," she said looking at him. "I don't need anymore near misses."

"Kali told us," he said. "Nii-sama's heart sank. It scared him so badly."

"Didn't mean to do that," she said sitting up a bit. "How's Anya been?"

"Still out," he said. "She's showing signs of improvement though, her infection's gone and so is the pneumonia." He sighed. "Just waiting for her to wake up."

"I know she will," she said. "Maybe…Sokyoku could go with you to see her. He could warm her up."

Sasuke had been holding the phoenix in his arms as he nodded and petted him. "I can't believe that you were chosen for this guy…but I'm glad it's you. If anyone deserves it, it's you."

Yasha blushed lightly. "Thanks," she said. "When I get better, there's a place here in Tokyo I need to see. I need to check out the shrine. And let them know I'm all right." She looked at him. "And show you where the well was that brought me to you."

"I'd like to see that," he said. "Kali got something from New York. They found someone's will naming her as beneficiary. So she'll be going soon there to get that settled. She says she wants to see where the mansion once stood, so she can get closure."

"She needs it," she said. She looked at Shiva playing with a toy of his. "He takes care of his sister a lot?"

"Yes, it's like they have a special bond," he chuckled. "And she adores him. It's to the point they're joined at the hip." He looked at her. "Sounds familiar?"

"Yes," she said. "They said that about us." She touched his hand. "And we still are."

He held her hand and bought it to his lips kissing her knuckles. It was then Kali walked in as he raised a brow. "What's up?" he asked.

"I got the results back," she said sitting down. "And have an odd thing happen. There's two possible matches, but they're in ways ya'll wouldn't imagine. You have half of what's needed, Brother. The other half comes from Sasori."

"Sasori?" Sasuke raised a brow. "I thought he was just puppet."

"Naw. Alison found some spell to bring him back to his human body, but he also is immortal like she is. Yet his bone marrow has the half that you don't have."

"So now what?" he asked.

"I need ya'll to come in once she hits remission," she said. "There's a chance I can do this. It'll be a medical first. But I have one chance to do this. And only one."

"Whatever it is, do it," he said seriously. "If it will save her life, I'm up for anything!"

"Then I will," she said. "I will call Sasori and let him know as well. I'm 'bout to check on Anya, if ya'll wanna come. Yasha can put a mask on and get in her wheelchair or she can walk, it won't hurt her."

Yasha nodded and slowly moved to get up as she fixed a surgeon's mask over her face. Being she was in the pediatric ward, it had designs on it. She got her IV pole and stood a bit unsteadily.

"Sit in the wheelchair, the kids can sit with you," Sasuke suggested.

Yasha nodded and moved to sit down as he lifted the two on either side of her. He fixed the IV over the chair and pushed her with him. Kali looked at this and fixed the mask over her nose and mouth as she nodded and led them to the elevator.

Shiva looked over at Anya as they got in the room. "Shh….Aunty Kawi," he said. "She sweepy."

"I know," she chuckled at her nephew. She got to work quietly as she fixed the IV bags and other things.

Sasuke watched this. He studied her as he could see her breathe quietly as he nodded a moment. But he then became alert when he heard Kali say "Oh my!"

"What's wrong?" he asked alarmed.

"She's wakin' up," she said.

Yasha's ears raised as she looked over at this seeing the crystal blue eyes of Anya Helsing staring around as if in a lost daze. She was shaking in fear especially when Kali touched her, causing her to recoil and look like she wanted to jump away.

"Anya," Kali said calmly. "I ain't gonna hurt ya. I know I'm a vampire, but I ain't a bad one. Besides, I'm only half."

"And she's been the one to help you all this time," Sasuke said walking to her.

Yasha noticed Anya relax when Sasuke appeared. She blinked. "She remembers you," she said.

"That's odd, her memories are all gone," Kali said.

"Then we can help her," Sasuke said firmly. "She's reborn now."

Kali nodded and checked Anya's eyes as she did some blood tests. "I'll check her out and see how things go," she said. "Then we'll see if we can get her some soup." She headed off as she moved to make sure.

Anya looked at the group around her a moment. She studied Sasuke intently. She was struggling to figure her surroundings as she felt him touch her hand.

"Anya, squeeze my hand if you know who I am," he said.

He felt the weak squeeze. He looked relieved.

"Do you remember anything else?" he asked.

No squeeze…she didn't.

She licked her dry lips and looked at him. "Y-You're…my last…memory."

Yasha blinked hearing this and saw Anya look at her. Sasuke saw this. "This is my wife, Yasha," he said. "Yasha, this is Anya Helsing."

Yasha knew Anya as Gaara's killer. However, since that was long forgotten, she knew that never needed to come up again. She slowly wheeled to her and smiled kindly. "Hello, Anya," she said.

Anya nodded her head and touched her ears, tweaking them. Normally, Yasha would tolerate this very little and had been known to bite before thinking. This time, she didn't do a thing, she let her do it.

But it was Shiva, of course, who made the final decision on things.

Shiva slid out of the wheelchair as Mikomi watched curiously. He climbed up on the bed and sat on Anya's side studying her intently. "Aya!" he said nodding. "Aya stay wit us!"

"I agree," a voice said from the doorway as Itachi stood there watching things. "Ali's been looking for an excuse to remodel the attic. It could be a good mini apartment for her. Yasha's strong enough to do a rough sketch to meet Anya's expectations. Money's no factor."

Sasuke smiled. He looked at Anya, who looked overwhelmed by all this kindness. "We'll give you new memories," he said.

Yasha smiled nodding. "Plus I think Kali may have a job for you once you're able," she said. "Yet she also has a surprise for you once you can sit up and stuff."

Anya slowly nodded her head. "Thank you," she whispered.

"And you'll be in my room soon now," Yasha said as she touched her hand. "Welcome to our family."


	15. Medical History

One year.

It took a whole year for Yasha to reach remission. She had energy again, she was able to go outside to the hospital gardens. Yet what was best, she could finally hold her children and spend more time with them, able to go home and rest for a few days.

Her biggest project was working on Anya's new room.

Yasha was rather good at designing as much as she was artwork. She looked at the house floor plan to get ideas as she put in a full sized bed and bookcases lining one end of the walls. She put in a desk and other things that she would like, a television, DVD player, stuff that would seem nice.

Then came the color scheme.

Yasha knew Anya was a werewolf, so she stuck with the forest colors, rich greens and browns. This led to her thinking of mint chocolate chip ice cream, one of those forbidden flavors to her, but the colors switched to match that. She had the sheet set more of a forest scene and the carpet a chocolate brown. The walls would be the mint green as she worked to get similar things to match.

Alison walked downstairs after helping renovate the attic, to raise the ceiling up and everything as she saw the design. "None of the rooms have that," she noticed. "Quite interesting."

"Kali's mint chocolate chip ice cream gave me the idea," Yasha joked. "I originally wanted forest colors, but when I thought of it, the idea came better to me. Yet I kept the forest theme with the bed sheets and curtains."

"I think we should give her a TV that can fit on the wall," Alison said. "That way she can have a glass stand that would have the DVD player or whatever."

Yasha looked thoughtful as she nodded. "She can rest in bed and watch TV," she said. "However, I want her to have a gun case. She can have a bit of Romania back in her life."

"How do you plan to get her guns from there? Stefan could still be there."

"Kali has ways," Yasha said. "She's…suddenly become like the big sister of her."

"I noticed, she is seeming rather protective," Alison chuckled. "It is a good thing." She sat down with an apple. "When is your transplant?"

"Two weeks," Yasha said. "That's how I'm able to do all this."

"Once you are better, what is the first thing you wish to do?"

Yasha smirked. She was now sixteen, so it was like any sixteen-year-old. "I want my driver's license."

Itachi walked in at that moment as his eyes looked ready to bug out of his head. It was bad enough his **WIFE **was a bat out of hell normally, which amazed him when she drove like a normal person in bad weather. But now he was hearing that his own daughter, who grew up in a world with no cars and horse power was pulling a cart, wanted to drive.

However, Alison was much more better on the situation. She swatted the back of Itachi's head seeing that look shooting him a glare. "I think she deserves it after all she has been through," she said.

And what Alison Uchiha says, it goes!

Itachi had no choice in that matter, but inwardly, he wanted to get extra life insurance suddenly since he would be the one responsible for teaching her. However, he had another deal to go over with her and Sasuke: they would be starting high school the next school year.

Now it was Alison's turn to look at her husband like he was a screwball, but she got the message: what goes around, comes around.

Yasha just had a strange look cross her face. She had no idea what high school was. She knew she needed help with reading and writing and Itachi had a tutor lined up for her already.

It was none other than Kay.

Kay had warmed her way into the family's good graces rather fast. Not only being Kali's stepmother, she and Alison became good friends, swapping recipes and chatting. Itachi liked that his wife had found a friend for once that was female. Yasha also liked her, since she had lots of stories. What surprised everyone was Kay did have ninja experience on a whole different level for someone with asthma.

So she was a good choice…and plus it would be Kay who would introduce Yasha to this mysterious family member that she had yet to meet.

So with the plan in motion for the room, Yasha leaned back in her wheelchair and relaxed. The kids were quietly playing and she watched them a moment. With Shiva two and Mikomi one, she was seeing how much she missed out on, but it wasn't her fault. She now had the chance to see them grow and thrive, despite missing almost all of Mikomi's baby days.

But everyone had taken pictures, did everything they could so that she didn't miss a thing.

The two weeks seemed to pass by fast. With Anya still in the hospital, Yasha was readmitted for her transplant. Sasuke and Sasori had been in six weeks ago and were resting at home.

Kali had spent that six weeks very wisely.

She had taken two samples of the bone marrow, one from each person, and began the impossible task of combining. This took hours of careful lab work, careful generation, and all she had the skill to do to make it work. She used the same concept as one would make artificial skin for burn victims, actually "growing" her own bone marrow.

She saw her results the day before: a perfect match.

Now she had to do this with all the bone marrow. She had written it all down carefully and decided to use the sample in Yasha to see if she would have any rejection problems, which would give the new bone marrow time to form. Her work didn't go unnoticed, since a few hospital staff and those visiting had watched her from day one.

She was making medical history.

The others sat in the Anya's room for news. Alison was absent, babysitting. Plus to drag her into any hospital was next to impossible, due to her fears. Even Anya looked on edge as she stared at the television and laid back to take a nap. But then Kali emerged looking at them.

"It was implanted in her," she said. "Now's the test. If she doesn't reject it, we can put the other in by the time we know."

Itachi nodded. "So she's in a room now?"

"Yes, but we can't allow visitors for fear of germs, she's been on medications that knock her immune system down. It's standard procedure. If this works, she gets the implant fully. No more medications except for stuff to boost her immune system. There's a five year mark too…five years and no more problems…she's cured. She'll be 21 then. But knowing her…five years or not, she'll be better."

"Thanks, Sister," Sasuke said gratefully.

Kali just smiled and headed off.

Yasha showed signs of progress almost immediately. She was alert, energy back, and she seemed to have no problems. While in rehab, she had the same results, no rejections or anything. Kali saw this as the okay to do the complete transplant and did so.

Yasha's appetite was the first to return. She wanted bacon cheeseburgers, strawberry sundaes, whatever her favorites were. She then became hyper and was back to running around like she once did. Her height was still effected, still short, but nothing else seemed to be.

Kali's hunch now became medical history.

This advanced Kali's job to a head doctor, giving her a bigger office and some interviews in some of the top medical magazines. It would save lives and worked for other cancer patients as well. With this came more money and the house was soon expanded finally, to match the needs of what they wanted.

And the best news, Anya was coming home.

Sasuke helped Anya out of the car as he watched her looking around. "It's okay," he said as Yasha opened the front door for her. Anya's eyes widened at the house.

"It's so nice," she said in awe.

Shiva and Mikomi ran up and hugged her legs happily. They now called Anya their new aunt. Anya meanwhile, had decided to become the babysitter of the two so that Sasuke and Yasha could have much needed alone time.

Anya gazed around her new room smiling. Sasuke had never seen her smile, so it was new to him as well. She noticed she had a lot of books to choose from, her bookworm personality still in her. Kali was standing nearby and looked at her.

"Kali-sama," Anya said bowing.

Kali smiled and opened a glass cabinet as she removed two things wrapped in cloth. She set them on the bed.

Anya moved to it and pushed the cloth back seeing her twin pistols. She blinked as she picked one up feeling how familiar it felt in her hand. She looked at Kali. "So much you've all done for me," she said. "Please, let me help guard this family…and especially be your bodyguard, Kali-sama…since you're the Chosen One."

Kali looked a bit surprised. She then quickly got over that. "I was gonna ask ya to do that anyway," she said.

"I owe you a life debt," Anya said. "After all the evil I've done…"

"No, we ain't gonna dwell on that!" Kali scolded. "New memories, remember?"

Anya nodded her head. "Then allow me to be your servant."

Yasha looked at Sasuke on that. She saw her husband nod as she smiled nodding as well.

_**A/N: This is the end of this story, but it continues in the new story "War of the Damned". So now you can read all the exploits of the adventures of Yasha in it. Yet this also concludes Chosen One of the Damned and Lone Wolf. **_


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